The National Newspaper Publishers Association, formerly the National Negro Publishers Association, is an association of African American newspaper publishers from across the United States. It was established in 1940 and took its current name in 1956. Its headquarters was in Louisville, Kentucky.

History

The NNPA was founded in 1940 when John H. Sengstacke, the second publisher of the Chicago Defender, organized a meeting with other African American publishers intended for “harmonizing our energies in a common purpose for the benefit of Negro journalism.” Sengstacke succeeded in realizing a dream that his uncle, Robert Sengstacke Abbott, had for many years. Fittingly, Abbott died on the morning of the inaugural conference on February 29, 1940. The younger Sengstacke was selected as the first president of the NNPA, and D. Arnett Murphy, the son of John H. Murphy Sr., who published the Baltimore Afro-American, was selected as the eastern vice president. In 1956, the trade association changed the name to the current moniker.

“In 2000, the NNPA launched NNPA Media Services — a print and web advertising placement and press release distribution service.” Since 2014, Dr. Benjamin Chavis has been the president and CEO of the organization.

Lyndon Johnson meeting with NNPA members in 1965

CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS