CEO Earl ‘Butch’ Graves Jr. Denounces NABJ Decision To Host Donald Trump

OUR VOICES MUST BE HEARD

It is with deep regret that I announce my decision to withdraw from our panel, “Black Leadership and Today’s Media Landscape,” at the 2024 National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago tomorrow.

The invitation to presidential nominees by NABJ is a great opportunity for the conference constituencies to hear from the respective candidates on their platforms. However, for none of the Black media organizations to be offered the opportunity to interview any candidate is an insult to what NABJ stands for. Moreover, it is indicative of the treatment Black media organizations face in today’s landscape and particularly disheartening that our own NABJ organization would make the decision to exclude Black media organizations from this important discussion.

The Executive Leadership Council (ELC), the sponsor of this panel, has been committed to fostering open dialogue, promoting diversity, and supporting the advancement of Black leaders in various industries, including media. To be clear, it has been the joint decision of the ELC, and all panelists and moderators, to cancel the session and not participate in the conference this year.

We want to emphasize that this decision was not taken lightly, and we regret any inconvenience it may cause those attendees who were looking forward to our panel discussion. We remain dedicated to promoting diverse opinions and supporting the voices of Black leaders in media.

I must emphatically state that I disagree with the decision of the leadership of NABJ to develop a panel featuring one presidential candidate – in this case, Donald Trump – in a session that does not include any Black media organizations and for that matter, Black male journalists. It appears that this panel was developed to accommodate the presumed Republican nominee and not potentially ask any of the difficult questions to garner responses that Black people want, need and deserve to hear. In fact, this decision was, indeed, one of folly and cowardice and not in keeping with the historic tradition of NABJ and Black media as a whole.

I am withdrawing from this session to take a stand. We must be ready and willing to walk in in harm’s way in order to move Black people—and our nation—forward.

I appreciate your understanding and continued support as we navigate and monitor this situation. BLACK ENTERPRISE remains unwavering in our commitment to the advancement of Black leadership and promotion of meaningful dialogue. We look forward to future opportunities to engage with our communities.

— Earl “Butch” Graves Jr.