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My graduation gift just got unnecessarily complicated, thanks to Donald Trump.
When my mom asked me what I wanted as a graduation gift, my immediate decision was a trip to Brazil. Then I gave it some thought, and decided on a trip to the 2024 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Chicago. She was much more receptive to that decision.
When I first decided I wanted to learn journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park, I knew I had to stick with my people. I became a staff member — then co-editor-in-chief — of the Black Explosion student-news publication. I also became a member of the UMD student chapter of NABJ. As the countdown to my NABJ trip began, I became increasingly excited and hype. I’ve had peers and mentors talk to me about how NABJ was a formative and enriching experience. To see so many Black professionals thrive in an industry that continues to devalue Black and minority voices in America, while being that voice for the community, is inherently a special thing! So on July 29, I got my fresh haircut, finished packing, and set off to relax for the rest of the night.
Until I see on my X feed that NABJ is hosting former president Donald Trump for a “special conversation.” Once I saw that, I was thrown into a world of frustration and confusion. NABJ was billed to me and other young professionals as a place to celebrate the joys and pains of Black journalism, as a place to see how connected and united our community is, and a place to further deepen connections.
So why is Trump, a chauvinist, racist, white supremacist who incited the Jan. 6 insurrection, and hurled attacks on Black journalists like April Ryan and Yamiche Alcindor while in the White House, allowed to enter this space?
NABJ was supposed to be a semi-stress free environment where I network, learn a lot, make new friends and hopefully get a job lined up after my internship.
Now that Trump is in the mix, I have to consider increased police presence at a time when Sonya Massey’s death occurred not too long ago. I also have to consider the secret service, and the possibility of the gaggle of geese who are Trump’s supporters and may fly in and invade this space.
The crazy thing is there’s not a single journalist on the moderator’s table that comes from any Black news publication. This is an event that uplifts and supports Black journalism and publications. What happened?!
My first NABJ convention and graduation gift is made complicated and slightly cheapened by the inclusion and platforming of a white supremacist who is, by every metric, a detriment to democracy. Even if moderators properly grill Trump on his stances and prior comments/actions, is it worth the photo ops he’ll get?
At a time when diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs are being forcibly shut down or greatly reduced by “anti-DEI” legislation being passed in Republican-led states like Alabama and Texas, Black thought and history are attacked and scrutinized, and our overall presence in journalism and media is still marginalized, we choose to bring the one person who could care less about any of that — and he wants all of that and then some gone?! I already went through experiences of microaggressions, isolation, and self-doubt in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism program, which is predominately white, so having Trump — the embodiment of division and ignorance — come for a “special conversation” is a tremendous slap to my face.
And I’m not sure I’ll turn the other cheek for quite some time.
