By Doni Glover, Publisher

(BALTIMORE – June 22, 2024) – Robert Bogle, the President and CEO of the Philadelphia Tribune, is an icon in the Black Press. His newspaper is the oldest Black newspaper in America. Jake Oliver, the former publisher of the Afro-American Newspaper, has told me about him several times. Oliver even told me to reach out to him.

Well, on Thursday night, I had Bogle as a captive audience for a few minutes, and let me tell you that I am so grateful Catonya Lester invited me to the NNPA Awards Ceremony. Because of my follow-through, I had the treat of interacting with a man who has probably forgotten more than most of us already know about the Black Press.

More than that, I know I was blessed to listen – first-hand – with a legend.

The truth is that newspapers worldwide are struggling. Many have closed over the past two decades. For the uninitiated, this poses a threat to our democracy and stymies our voice. The Black Press has always been a voice for the otherwise voiceless 44.4 million African Americans in America. The Black Press has always covered issues that the mainstream press ignored or overlooked.

The Black Press – going back to the pioneers like Sam Cornish and Ida B. Wells – is our saving grace. The Black Press is committed to telling a more accurate picture of Black life in America. The Black Press is the media that illuminated lynching, Jim Crow, and segregation. These heroes with ink pens, typewriters, and now laptops are the ones who ensure our story is told. And they help hold the powers accountable.

Rodericka Applewaite, the White House Director of Black Media, counts on the Black Press. She ensures we get into the White House press conferences because she understands the importance of having the Black Press present. And we are eternally grateful.

The previous administration, as articulated by journalists like April Ryan, was quite the opposite.

As a people and as a nation, we cannot afford to be overlooked, ignored, sidelined, or the like. The members of the Black Press have the responsibility of shining our light and shining it brightly to ensure that Black issues are addressed.

It is no secret that the Black vote was key to Pres. Joe Biden getting elected. Blacks in South Carolina and Georgia were especially meaningful in his election. Soldiers like Stacy Abrams helped catalyze his victory, and he knows it. And that’s why Rodericka Applewaite, a young Black woman who graduated from George Washington University, is charged with making sure the Black Press continues to have access to the White House.

So, to be in the company of such Black Press leaders like Bogle on Thursday was a dream come true. Even more important is ensuring younger journalists understand how to keep the Black Press alive.

My next book, Journapreneur, is coming out in two weeks. In it, I discuss the future of the Black Press and the role of digital media, like BMORENews.com. It’s been 22 years since we launched, and I am in no way tired. Thursday’s event was the icing and fuel for the ride. It is my hope to help inspire the next generation of publishers, editors, journalists, and the like—because if we ever needed the Black Press before, we sure do need it now.

The threats of fascism, in my honest opinion, are real. Project 2025 by conservative think tanks aims to change democracy as we know it. And we can’t have that!

A luta continua!          

SEE PICS from NNPA Awards Ceremony, 6.20.24

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RELATED STORIES

Legendary Philly Tribune Editor Robert Bogle at NNPA

Doni Glover at National Newspaper Publishers Association Convention in Baltimore

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