(BALTIMORE – March 17, 2023) – In celebration of the 196th Black Press Day, about a dozen local journalists, including Baltimore Times Newspaper Publisher Joy Bramble, convened at Nancy by SNAC yesterday. The purpose was to come together and share experiences working in Black media.
Bramble, for instance, spoke about the encouragement and support of two former Afro employees.
The Afro-American Newspaper, it should be noted, has been a breeding ground for Black journalists in Baltimore. Most every journalist in the room had an Afro story. From paperboy to the writer, the real question would be who does not have an Afro story?
Established in 1892, the Afro was founded by John H. Murphy, Sr. It continues to be a shining example of Black journalism in America.
Their managing editor, Alexis Sayles, joined the gathering and shared about her beautiful journey as a journalist at one of the nation’s oldest and longest-running publications.
Troy Hackley, who has built a TV sports program, was among the attendees. His outlet is Urban Sports Beat, an entity he has built from the ground up. His show airs on Saturday nights at 12:30 am on MyTV Baltimore and is on Comcast Channel 75 (Engage). This is his 7th year in business.
“It was nice,” said Hackley. “I just thought we should have been supported better. It’s up to us to make things happen. It goes back to the plight of what we see every day with kids getting killed. We have become synthesized. We didn’t have to worry about getting killed. I’m in these schools. It’s like a war zone.”
When asked why he does it, he replied, “It’s a calling. I’m obligated to help others. There have been many times when I saw I wasn’t getting the support, but God wouldn’t let me quit. How things work out, how I get the resources, how I get to meet all these people – it’s all God’s work. When I’m in stores, they come up to me. Dudes come home from prison and they say I have the number one show in prison. I just keep doing what I’m doing. I have goals of going syndicated.”
He added how he was inspired by Kevin Samuels, the late talk show host. “Kevin Samuels once said that when you are aspiring and you get to the middle of the pack, and then somebody sees you and pulls you up to the next level. Once you get there, you have to go back and pull up some others.”
