From Axios Cleveland: 1 big thing:
🗞️ NABJ touches down in Cleveland:
By Sam Allard and Troy Smith · Aug 06, 2025
More than 3,000 journalists, media executives and students will descend on Cleveland this week for the National Association of Black Journalists’ 50th Annual Convention.
Why it matters: Hosting NABJ isn’t just a major economic win for Cleveland.
- The city’s legacy of Black political and cultural firsts — from Carl Stokes becoming the first Black big-city mayor to our outsized influence in civil rights, music and sports — offers a symbolic backdrop for a gathering centered on Black storytelling.
State of play: It’s the first time the membership and advocacy organization will host its flagship gathering in Northeast Ohio.
- The program of daily panels and discussions, plus a career fair, will take place at the Huntington Convention Center.
- But the whole city will be jammed with special events into the weekend, including an opening night bash tonight at the Rock Hall, co-hosted by the Greater Cleveland Association of Black Journalists (GCLEABJ).
Flashback: When Cleveland made its pitch at the Miami convention in 2019, members were floored by the presentation, said NABJ executive director Drew Berry in a Destination Cleveland video.
- “Coordination between the entire Cleveland community, it sent us a strong message. Yo — they really want us to come,” he said.
👀 Celebrity sightings: Among the dozens of prominent Black media personalities in Cleveland this week will be ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, the New York Times’ Nikole Hannah-Jones and NBC’s Yamiche Alcindor.
- LeBron James is also expected to attend.
Shameless plug: Axios will be well represented, with editor-in-chief Aja Whitaker-Moore and Local managing editor Delano Massey both scheduled to speak.
The big picture: Rhonda Crowder, president of the GCLEABJ, tells Axios that the convention will be a celebration, especially for the organization’s 50th anniversary, but also a time of reflection.
“This is a moment to stop and think about how we can bring more youthful, diverse perspectives into Cleveland newsrooms, especially if we want to keep a healthy news ecosystem,” she says.
The story:
https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2025/08/06/50th-national-association-black-journalists-convention-ohio?utm_term=emshare
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