By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
When officials at St. George’s United Methodist Church pulled Richard Allen, Absalom Jones and other Black parishioners off their knees while praying in Philadelphia in 1787, they went on to form their own church, free of racial discrimination.
Black Press Sunday returns to Washington, D.C., on Sunday, March 15, at Metropolitan AME Church for worship and celebration beginning at 10 a.m. The annual service will tout the 199th anniversary of the Black Press in America. This year’s theme is “Voice of Freedom – Journalists United in Truth.” Black Press Week 2026 will be held in Washington, D.C., March 16 through March 20. Flyer courtesy of NNPA
In a similar example of Black people shaking off the shackles of racial oppression, John Russwurm and Samuel Cornish, determined to “plead our own cause,” founded “Freedom’s Journal” in 1827, marking the start of the Black Press in America.
On March 15, members of the Black Press will celebrate 199 years of perseverance, ingenuity and achievements during the annual worship service at D.C.’s historic Metropolitan AME Church, known as Black Press Sunday. The day will serve as a time to honor the heroic Black leaders who started the institution and the people who have kept it alive.
Black Press Sunday 2026 will kick off a week of activities that will include receptions, seminars, conversations and strategic pow-wows that will highlight the contributions of Black journalists and acknowledge the need to support Black media in America.
The Rev. William H. Lamar IV, pastor of Metropolitan, one of the event’s sponsors, spoke to the significance of the service.
“We celebrate the Black Press because they have always captured our joys and pains, our victories and defeats, and our hopes and dreams,” Lamar said. “However, we must remember that the media is political and is not neutral. It can report a vision of shared human flourishing or one of exclusion, oppression and exploitation. Throughout its history, the Black Press has represented African Americans and stood with humanity in the quest for truth.”
In year’s past, Black Press Sunday has become an annual fixture in the lives of those who work for or support the mission of Black journalists and publications.
Phil Lewis, president of the Washington Association of Black Journalists (WABJ), and deputy editor at Huffington Post, said he’s thrilled to once again join the celebration.
“When I attended the service last year, it marked one of the first events under my tenure as president for WABJ and I remember how excited I was to see the sanctuary filled with people,” Lewis said. “Within the ranks of the National Association of Black Journalists, our chapter boasts one of the strongest memberships with more than 500 active participants. And what’s most important is fostering relationships across the generational divide.”
Lewis said he was most impressed by numerous examples of comradery that he witnessed after the conclusion of last year’s service.
“We met in the church’s fellowship hall during which the publisher of The Washington Informer, Denise Rolark Barnes, gave remarks,” he said. “It was a real celebration with soul food prepared by Black-owned caterers and conversations between people who were meeting for the first time. But what was really awesome, was seeing the reunions that occurred among veteran members of the Black Press.”
Lewis said the fellowship and networking was crucial.
“We have to get back to that kind of community engagement, especially among Black journalists, if we hope to survive the policies that are being promoted by the current administration in the White House.”
Barnes, who, like WABJ, serves as an event sponsor in her joint roles as publisher of The Washington Informer and president and chair of Washington Informer Charities, said while the challenges the Black Press faces today are monumental, she plans to focus on following the ancestors on Sunday morning, praising God freely without fear of oppression.
“I look forward to Rev. Lamar delivering a message that will provide hope and inspiration to journalists impacted by the elimination of DEI, and the significant reductions in revenue and cuts in jobs that have plagued Black journalists and Black publications since the recent president took office” Barnes said. “Ultimately, however, this is like any other Sunday worship service in the Black church. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m going to be there to have church!”
Ron Moten, co-founder of Don’t Mute DC, posited that joining the other sponsors, which also include AFRO News and the National Newspaper Publishers Association, said his organization has long supported the work and mission of the Black Press.
“Given the unprecedented turn of events that have occurred under the current administration, changes that have disproportionately impacted African Americans, we need the Black Press now more than ever before” Moten said. “Black Press Sunday is about increasing awareness about the important role Black journalists play in our lives, whether we realize it or not.”
Moten said financial support is key.
“We’ve got to dig deep in our pockets so we can raise funds that will help support the Black Press and ensure its survival.”
Lewis emphasized that even as a Millennial and one of the younger spokesmen slated to address the audience during the service, he recognizes the historical significance of gathering at Metropolitan AME Church.
“Just think – this was the place where one of the most prolific voices of the 19th century, Frederick Douglass, worshipped,” Lewis said. “He published The North Star as part of the Black Press, reaching thousands of African Americans. He stood up when people like Donald Trump attempted to erase our history.”
“Like Douglass, it’s vital that we–as storytellers– share the good news about the Black Press and its 199 years of service,” said Lewis. “That’s what Black Press Sunday is all about. We’ve got more work to do and more stories to tell.”
