National Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation to Host Black Press Week

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Thelma Walker, 847.404.9997, tmunsonwalker@yahoo.com
Adorn Lewis-Mitchell, 312.318.9696, adornlmitchell@aol.com

National Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation to Host Black Press Week

Newsmaker of the Year Awards Among Top Honors

WASHINGTON, DC (March 10, 2014) – Ron Davis and Lucia McBath, the parents of slain Florida teen Jordan Davis, and Nathaniel and Cleopatra Pendleton, the parents of slain Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton, will receive the National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA) Foundation’s highest honor – the Newsmaker of the Year Award during the organization’s Black Press Week in Washington, DC, scheduled March 19-21.

“Our member publishers are so pleased to acknowledge the valiant efforts of these parents not only in their fight to bring justice for their son and daughter, but also for their commitment to challenging the Stand Your Ground law to possibly help save other youth,” said NNPA Foundation Chair Mary G. Denson.  Just last month, Jordan would have turned 19 years old.

With the theme “Access to Economic Empowerment,” the awards ceremony saluting Davis’ and Pendleton’s parents is part of several planned activities, including a panel discussion with The Empowerment Experiment co-founder Maggie Anderson where she will share how her family publicly committed to buy from Black-owned businesses for an entire year.  There will be a special publishers enshrinement ceremony; State of the Black Press Luncheon at the National Press Club; special Black Press & The Pulpit breakfast; visit to the White House; and other empowering events.

The National Newspaper Publishers Association is comprised of publishers of 200 Black newspapers representing more than 19.5 million readers.  Established more than 20 years ago, the NNPA Foundation is a 501 C(3) tax-exempt organization that has traditionally focused on pre-professional training and encouraging excellence in the industry. Its four traditional programs include: the Black Press Archives and Hall of Fame at Howard University, the A. Phillip Randolph Messenger Awards for Excellence in publishing and reporting, a summer internship program offering journalism students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience at Black newspapers, and a scholarship fund providing financial assistance to college and graduate students with an interest in journalism. In 2000, the foundation created the Black Press Institute and the NorthStar Center for Civic Journalism as a means of revitalizing and enhancing its programmatic activities.

For more information, visit http://www.nnpa.org or call 202.588.7348.

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