I’d like to take a moment out to thank the political candidates who purchased ads on BmoreNews.com and our affiliates, BlackUSA.News, and ThePrinceGeorgian.com. About seven years ago, the National Newspaper Publishers Association paid me to attend their annual conference and speak about online advertising. This particular year, it was held in Portland, Oregon.
What I remember most about that trip are the words of former California Speaker Willie Brown at the conference dinner. I was thrilled to finally meet Brown as my father taught me of his many accomplishments many moons ago. Brown is a sharp-dressing politician who had the common sense to speak with such stellar regard for the Black Press.
This was so refreshing for me to hear.
The Black Press Corps across America, official and independent, is essential. If we do not write about our people, then we leave mainstream media to say what it wants. And too often, it is inaccurate, insensitive, and stereotypical. At the same time, it takes money to stay in business – especially when you are a truth-teller. Sometimes, people don’t want to hear the truth … because it’s painful.
In any event, the news must be reported.
As Prof. Ronn Nichols taught us media students years ago at Coppin State back in the mid-90s, ours is an innate task to help counter and correct the mainstream media misinformation. Again, too often the mainstream media gets it wrong. And when you are Black in America, it’s quite often the last thing you want to see.
Malcolm X may have said it best, “The media is the most powerful entity on earth.” He continued, “It has the ability to make the innocent look guilty, and the guilty look innocent.”
So, for me, Brown’s encouraging words that night in Portland warmed my soul. Here was a very powerful Black politician paying homage to the Black Press. He spoke so eloquently about how the Black Press, over the generations, reported on the lynchings and other atrocities against Black people. That night, he reminded us of our mission to continue to tell the truth no matter what.
And so, as this Maryland statewide election unfolds, I am grateful to the politicians in Maryland who understand the need to support the Black Press, including our outlets: BmoreNews.com, BlackUSA.News, and ThePrinceGeorgian.com.
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