NABJ president at a student recruitment event in September (Photo from NABJ Twitter)
By Corey May
A journalism organization on Texas Tech University campus is showing growth since it was chartered in April 2019.
Rian Wilson, president of the National Association of Black Journalists chapter and junior creative media industry major from Houston, spoke of her decision to support the organization.
“Bringing NABJ to Texas Tech was the best thing I could’ve done, because it created a better sense of community in the College of Media and Communications,” Wilson said.
NABJ participants at Texas Tech. (Photo by Corey May)
Originally founded by 44 men and women on Dec. 12, 1975, in Washington D.C., the NABJ website states it is “the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation.”
The members of the NABJ consist of students and professionals in the media field or in media-related fields. Created to strengthen ties among black journalists, NABJ helps by creating more opportunities in the industry and providing professional training and development for the group, according to the organization’s website.
“The NABJ chapter at Texas Tech hopes to help create a network for all of our members,” Wilson said. “I want to be able to create opportunities for our members that include internships, jobs, and resource access to professionals comfortable in the industry.”
For events, the NABJ chapter at Texas Tech features members of the professional chapter as guest speakers.
One of the professional members, Matthew Stell, works for KAMC-TV in Lubbock. Stell has been a member of the NABJ since he was in college at the University of Houston.
NABJ participants gathered during their first meeting of the 2019 fall semester. (Photo from NABJ Instagram)
“At the national and regional level,” Stell said, “they offer a lot of good conferences and conventions where you learn a lot in two or three days. It is a really good organization to get into if you are going into this field.”
Kayla Black, Texas Tech alumna who works for Fox34 in Lubbock, said she felt the need to join NABJ because she is the only black person on her staff for Good Day Lubbock.
Black joined NABJ a month after she graduated and said she is really looking forward to going to the NABJ convention July 2020 in Washington D.C. – another perk of being a member.
“When I joined, it gave me a lot more confidence in myself because I feels like I am apart of something bigger than me,” Wilson said.
About JOUR 3312
