K'mari GreeneOn Sunday Oct. 3, four Campus Echo members traveled to Howard University for the third annual Indaba Center for Journalism and Democracy Summit to advance their skills as journalists and understand where democracy stands in the United States.
“The segment on investigative journalism with Walter Smith Randolph was really good,” N.C. Central University senior political science student Kendall Hokes said. “I’ll definitely be taking some of those tips back to the Echo with me.”
CJD was founded in Nov. 2022 by investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones to use the unique nature of Black press to influence American media to further racial equality, justice and power to strengthen U.S. democracy.
Over the course of two days, Hannah-Jones and her team at CJD hosted a plethora of guest speakers and workshops to give student journalists the tools to succeed as Black journalists across nine HBCU newsrooms.
The featured newsrooms were:
- Florida A&M University — The Famuan
- N.C. Central University — Campus Echo
- Howard University — The Hilltop and HU News Service
- Morgan State University — The Spokesman
- Morehouse College’s — The Maroon Tiger
- N.C. Agricultural & Technical State University — The A&T Register and Aggie News
- Savannah State University’s — Tiger’s Roar
- University of the District of Columbia’s — The Trilogy
“Something I’m seeing they are preaching throughout the conference is the value of authenticity,” Howard University senior journalism student Destiny Gibbons said. “It can be difficult to go into the newsroom as a Black girl and having the space to be able to tell the stories you want can be very special.”
On the first day , the summit consisted of three guest speakers on various topics such as digital security, what democracy is and how to be a better investigative journalist.
Tat Bellamy-Walker, the program coordinator and safety trainer at the International Women’s Media Foundation, said they were very excited to be invited to this year’s conference because digital safety is important for journalists in today’s climate.
“What we’ve historically seen is marginalized folks have been affected by attacks both online and in person and it pushes them out of the journalism industry,” Bellamy-Walker said. “What we do is a mixed bag of opportunities, grants and safety support so they can [feel safe enough to] stay in the industry.”
They added that the organization opens its doors to everyone regardless of gender, race or other demographic factors.
Day Two’s Agenda
On Tuesday Oct. 6, NCCU, the other eight HBCU’s and other Black journalists from across the country gathered in Howard’s Blackburn Center for the official 2026 Democracy Summit.
“Our democracy is only 60 years old,” Hannah-Jones said. “So, having our conference here [at Howard] is essential.”
There were 16 panelists having conversations about preparing newsrooms for high-stake elections, why journalism is important, how to fight back when democracy is on the line and more.
Among those panelists, independent journalist Georgia Fort shared her recent struggle with nearly two dozen ICE agents arresting her from her home in Minnesota in January.
“Today, I’m still facing two federal accounts,” Fort said.
Fort said ICE was sent to her front door after being identified as having recorded an “ICE out” protest in Minnesota —which she says was expressing her rights as a member of the press.
Still, Fort says she encourages both the next generation and the current generation of journalists to continue to do what they do.
“An attack on the press is not simply just an attack on journalists,” she said. “It’s an attack on the public’s right to know and we are the vehicle to share the information.”
