The NNPA Fund’s Black Press Day 2026 at Howard University brought together journalists, students and supporters to honor the legacy and future of the Black Press. The event featured discussions on innovation, including AI in newsrooms, ongoing digitization efforts, and the importance of intergenerational leadership, while also enshrining the late publisher Bernal E. Smith II for his lasting contributions to Black journalism.
Tag: Ida B. Wells
Posted inBlack Press
Black Press celebrates ties to Black Church in annual Sunday service
The Black Press, founded in 1827 by John Russwurm and Rev. Samuel Cornish, has been fighting for justice and equality for Black communities for 199 years, and continues to be an important source of information and advocacy today.
Posted inBlack History
Dr. Carter G. Woodson: The man who shaped Black History Month
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the founder of Negro History Week, Black History Month, and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, is remembered for his dedication to preserving and promoting the accomplishments of African Americans.
Posted inOPINION
The AFRO: A vanguard to civil rights
In this opinion commentary, Rev. Stacy Swimp traces the historic role of the AFRO-American Newspaper as a cornerstone of Black self-definition, intellectual advocacy and civil rights activism. From its founding by John Henry Murphy Sr. in 1892 to its modern-day mission, the AFRO is presented as a vital institution that has equipped Black communities to confront media bias, preserve historical truth and exercise collective agency through literacy, scholarship and service. Credit: AFRO Photo
Posted inOPINION
Alex Pretti and Renee Good were lynched– how will we respond?
By William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove We don’t need better training for the men who killed these activists. We need a moral movement to disarm them and reconstruct democracy. From 1920 until 1938, a flag on Fifth Avenue in New York City proclaimed an uncomfortable reality to passers-by on New York’s busy streets: […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Army Maj. Bianca Ross celebrates promotion, urges Black women in uniform to be ‘unstoppable’
By Jonathan ForneySpecial to the AFRO A crowd of friends, family and fellow servicemembers gathered on the lawn of the National Museum of African American History and Culture to commemorate Army Captain Bianca Ross’ promotion to major on Sept. 15. The historically Black college and university alumna from Clark Atlanta University was born at Fort […]
Posted inBlack Press
‘Black America’s Attorney General’ donates $50K to Black Press during NNPA Awards Reception
Attorney Benjamin Crump surprised attendees at the 2025 NNPA National Leadership Awards Reception with a $50,000 donation to the National Newspaper Publishers Association, praising the Black Press as the “clarion call” for Black America. The event, a highlight of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, also honored leaders including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Yvette Clarke, and union president Claude Cummings Jr.
Posted inNational News
African American women on quarters thanks to former Congresswoman Barbara Lee
The American Women Quarters Program, launched by the U.S. Mint in 2022, honors diverse women—including four African-American trailblazers—whose contributions to American history span civil rights, aviation, literature and law.
Posted inBUSINESS
Rev. Bryant and the Black Press won’t let Target off the hook
Rev. Jamal Bryant is calling for the continuation of a nationwide boycott against Target after the retailer scaled back its racial equity programs, urging sustained economic pressure to secure lasting change. Black leaders, including the NNPA’s Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., insist that any corporate accountability must include robust support for Black-owned media and community investment.
Posted inPOLITICS
The Black Press: The last line of defense as 47th president seizes control of the National Archives
Donald Trump’s takeover of the National Archives marks a chilling step in his campaign to rewrite history, erasing the truths that challenge his authoritarian ambitions, which threatens the preservation of Black history and truth itself.