Black Press called 'essential' to future
BY GEORGE E. CURRY
NNPA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
NASSAU, Bahamas -
A top Bahamas official
praised the Black Press the
week of Jan. 25 as essential
to truthfully and creditably
chronicling African
American progress from
one generation to the next.
Philip E. Davis, deputy
prime minister and minister
of Works and Urban
Development, commended
the National Newspaper
Publishers Association
(NNPA) for 75 years of
excellence.
"It goes without saying
that your relevance, with
time, is all the more impor
tant as the stories of strug
gle and sacrifice are passed
on to each generation of
Blacks." he said in a speech
at the NNPA mid-winter
convention here. "This is
essential so that our youth
and future generations
understand and appreciate
the price of what they
enjoy today."
NNPA publishers were
also greeted by Minister of
Tourism Obediah H.
Wilchcombe. A former
journalist, Wilchcombe
pledged to advertise in
NNPA newspapers to help
attract tourists, especially
African- Americans, to the
Bahamas.
In his speech, Davis
said, "No one has the
authority to tell your story
like you can, so as to aptly
illustrate in the words of an
old African proverb: 'Until
the lions have their own
historians, tales of the hunt
shall always glorify the
hunters.'Davis urged pub
lishers to continue provid
ing robust coverage of their
communities while
embracing the technology
favored by young people.
"As you move to cele
brate Black History Month
...beginning early next
week, I encourage you to
continue as responsible
generational leaders, being
the critical voice that gives
the perspective that others
are simply not equipped to
give," he said. "I also
entreat you to embrace the
technology of youth.
Arming yourselves in this
way will allow you to
exponentially contribute to
nurturing hearts and
enlightening minds
throughout the world."
Davis drew a direct link
between the Civil Rights
Movement of the 1960s
and recent unrest across the
nation when unarmed
African-Americans were
killed by police officers
who were never prosecut
ed.
"Today, history
screams as loudly in
Ferguson [Mo.} as it did in
Mississippi during the
1960s," he said. "We must,
though, be careful that the
ideologies which led to our
bonded and disenfran
chised forebears to unrest
and uprising are not used to
i ???r?
rationalize the actions of
those who resist the neces
sary casings of law and
order.
"As journalists, your
role as peacekeepers, there
fore, can never be overstat
ed . You must do all that you
can to continue to be forth
right and objective truth
tellers, calming the waters,
while providing an accessi
T7T?? I
ble resource for young
emerging leaders."
Like African
Americans, Davis said, the
Bahamas has had its own
struggles with racial ten
sion. He said that history is
"painfully punctuated with
accounts of bloodshed and
death, poverty and
provocative policemen,
incited cities and solemn
cemeteries."
He explained, "much as
that history derives from
the abominable Jim Crow
that survives today dressed
in the fabled emperor's
new clothes."
Chronicle Publisher
Emie Pitt presented a sem
inar on local advertising
sales at the NNPA gather
ing.
?i?i 1
From left to right: NNPA Convention Co-Chair Terry Jones; NNPA President Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.; Bahamas Deputy Prime
Minister Philip E. Davis; Convention Co-Chair Karen Carter Richards and NNPA Chairman Cloves C. Campbell
"Today, history screams as loudly in
Ferguson [Mo.] as it did in Mississippi dur
ing the 1960s,"
Benjamin F. Chavis
Salem Lodg? #139
Black History Month
Community Awards Banquet
& Robert A. Miller
Scholarship Gala
Keynote Speaker
The Honorable Denise Hartsfield
Saturday, February 21, 2015
7pm, Tickets $40
Winston-Salem Hotel and Spa
3050 University Parkway
(formerly Sundance Hotel 8c. Spa)
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Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015
8 a.m. - noon
Registration begins at 8 a.m.
Opening session begins at 9 a.m.
Alumni-Foundation Event Center
200 North Benbow Road
N.C. A&T State University
Greensboro, NC
Learn more about N.C. A&T:
Talk with representatives from academic departments
and student services areas
Meet with Admissions and Financial Aid Counselors
Take a tour of the campus
Student Registration: nndergradadmiBeioos.ncat.edu
Contact: 334-334-7946 / nadmltOncat.edu