Chris FrazierStudent editors from N.C. Central University gathered with the Center for Journalism and Democracy on Oct. 7 and 8 in Washington, D.C.
Founded by Howard University’s Knight Chair in Race and Journalism Nikole Hannah-Jones, CJD aims to promote civil discourse and democracy around the press.
They also take inspiration from the Black Press to aid upcoming journalists in promoting racial equity and justice, according to the organization’s website.
On the first day, NCCU met students from other HBCUs at the Press Leadership and Innovation Conference. Labeled Indaba, a traditional conference where community members meet to share ideas and discuss issues, these students made up the CJD’s HBCU consortium.
NCCU, N.C. A&T, Howard, Morgan State, Texas Southern, Savannah State, Florida A&M, Morehouse, and the University of the District of Columbia were represented.
This meeting followed last year’s “Transforming Journalism Education forum,” where HBCUs brainstormed ways to improve their newsrooms and applied for an innovation grant.
After being awarded the grant during summer break, the consortium reunited to provide an update on their colleges and plan to improve their newsrooms.
Reporters from the Guardian, Hearken and UNC’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media were also present to help students brainstorm ways to report on democracy back home.
The reporters then advised students on creating stories based on what they learned during the second half of NCCU’s trip, the third annual Democracy Summit.
This year’s summit, which took place in Howard’s Blackburn Center, discussed oligarchies, their historical precedence and how they harm democracies. The day consisted of expert talks, panels and small discussions that varied from table to table.
Scholars and journalists who took the stage included Howard’s Sherrilyn Ifill, Oxfam America’s Nabil Ahmed, MSNBC’s Joy Reid and Northwestern University’s Jeffrey Winters.
The audience, including consortium members, had the opportunity to ask experts questions on the issues they raised throughout the conference.
The summit was live-streamed and can be accessed here.
