A core group of eight Black journalists agreed on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, to form a new affiliate chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Philadelphia. The previous chapter, the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists (PABJ), had disaffiliated from NABJ in December 2022.

The group consisted of longtime officers and members of PABJ who felt a strong kinship with NABJ and wanted to maintain that connection. They opposed the decision to break from the national organization, whose founders in 1975 included members of PABJ. NABJ-Philadelphia informed NABJ of its intention to join the national and started the process of becoming a legal organization in the state of Pennsylvania.

NABJ-Philadelphia has a charter membership of 44 people, along with 13 legacy members. Its officers are:

• President – Michael Days (former vice president, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News)
• Vice President – Melanie Burney (reporter, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Secretary – Afea Tucker (reporter, The Trace)
• Treasurer – Sherry Howard (former editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Parliamentarian – Jenice Armstrong (columnist, The Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News)
• Member-At-Large – Bobbi Booker, (managing editor, WHYY News PlanPhilly)

Among the organization’s members are PABJ founders and early members, longtime PABJ members, former presidents of both PABJ and NABJ, and supporters. They include Sandra Long Weaver, Don Camp, Francine Cheeks, Elmer Smith, Karen Warrington, Arthur Fennell, Sam Pressley, Ric Harris, Joe Davidson, Cathy Hicks, Sarah Glover, David W. Brown and Irv Randolph. 

Discussions about forming a new NABJ chapter in Philadelphia had begun in January 2023 but were tabled to allow some PABJ members to attempt to mend the rift between the local and national groups over submission of member emails and other issues. The effort was not successful as presidents of both organizations would not budge on the major issue of emails. A PABJ ad-hoc committee made its report at a monthly membership meeting in February 2023 along with its concerns that the decision to disaffiliate was not voted on by the full membership. A recommendation that the membership be allowed to vote was not considered by the president and board.

In April, NABJ suspended PABJ President Ernest Owens from the national organization for five years.

Meanwhile, some PABJ members were denied requests for detailed reports on the organization’s finances, were subjected to ageism by the PABJ president, watched as the PABJ Board changed its rules to give itself absolute power over the organization with little membership input, and were discouraged when they challenged Board decisions. Some members were aghast when the PABJ Board accepted funding from Philadelphia City Council and when the PABJ president endorsed a Philadelphia mayoral candidate – both a no-no for journalists who are the watchdogs over public officials and institutions.

At the NABJ Board meeting in Philadelphia on Oct. 27, 2023, Eva D. Coleman, Region III director, nominated NABJ-Philadelphia for approval. Burney spoke emphatically about the organization’s desire to be a part of a national group of Black journalists.

“It is my pleasure and honor to ask this board to approve as a new chapter an affiliate of the National Association of Black Journalists because Philadelphia needs and deserves a chapter connected with this group,” Burney said. “We want to be a part. We want to work with you.”

“This is your chance to make history.”

Several NABJ-Philadelphia board and charter members (Al Hunter Jr. and Kristin Holmes) were on hand for the presentation and stood behind Burney in solidarity as she spoke to the board. (NABJ-Philadelphia President Michael Days and Parliamentarian Jenice Armstrong were not able to attend the meeting.)

With a vote of 11 for and 1 abstention, the NABJ Board approved NABJ-Philadelphia as the only NABJ affiliate in the Philadelphia region. After the vote, the group celebrated by offering T-shirts to NABJ President Ken Lemon and Executive Director Drew Berry. The entire NABJ board received travel mugs emblazoned with the NABJ-Philadelphia logo.

Also at the meeting, a message from PABJ founder Don Camp was read into the record. “I’ve always been especially proud to be a founder of the Association of Black Journalists,” said Camp, who had planned to make the speech himself but was unable to do so. “Within the last year I’ve watched with sadness, anger and embarrassment as, it seems to me, personal antics that ended in the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists resigning from the National Association of Black Journalists. I must say that I do feel now, as I did fifty years ago, that a city chapter linked to a national association is essential and critical.”

NABJ-Philadelphia welcomes all journalists, students, educators and media-related people to join us in an organization that is both open and transparent. We are very excited about what we will accomplish with this new organization whose purpose is to be of service to all Black journalists and the African American community.