Lemon wins: The Monitor 8-5-23

INSIDE THE MONITOR

NABJ Members Show Off Their Style in Straight Hair Town

Page 6

THE NABJ MONITOR

Group Advocates for Black Girls on Bikes Page 12

S AT U R D AY, A U G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 3 • N A B J M O N I T O R . C O M / 2 0 2 3

NABJ 2023 ELECTION

KEN WINS TOP NABJ JOB

BY ELIJAH PITTMAN AND CASSANDRA DUMAY

NABJ membership has elected Ken Lemon to be its 23rd president with 66 percent of the votes against transgender presidential candidate Tre’vell Anderson (467236) in a competitive race.

Nerves were high of both candidates leading up to the announcement of election results. Lemon spent his time before and after the press conference networking with NABJ members. After the results were announced, he said “we are ready to do business.”

Jump to following page

Ken Lemon hugs a supporter after hearing that he won the presidency of NABJ for 2023-2025.

EDI H. DOH /NABJ MONITOR

02 S AT U R DAY, AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 3

THE NAB J MONITOR

2023 S TAFF CAYLA CADE LENTHEUS CHANEY ALYSSA COOPER MAIYA CREWS EDI DOH CASSANDRA DUMAY COURTNEY HANCOCK SHANAÉ HARTE GRANT HINES JASMINE FRANKLIN KAYA FREEMAN DEANNA GILES SHANAÉ HARTE GEORGE HOWARD IV ASAR JOHN ZOIE LAMBERT MYA NICHOLSON CHRISTINA NORRIS TOLU OLASOJI ELIJAH PITTMAN CHARLENE RICHARDS SYDNEY ROSS MALEIKA STEWART KATHRYN STYER MARTINEZ ELAINA WHITE CARLTON WIGGINS KHENEDI WRIGHT ELEAZAR YISRAEL

N A B J M O N I TO R .CO M / 2 0 2 3

‘I ain’t going nowhere,’ Tre’vell tells supporters Jump from preceding page Anderson said they were disappointed, but knew the race would be an uphill battle.

“I ain’t going nowhere,” Anderson said to the room. “You know that, so get ready.”

Lemon, who works at WSOC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina, most recently served his second term as NABJ vice president of broadcast. He has received three Emmys, two AP awards and an NAACP Image Award.

Before taking his position as vice president of broadcast, Lemon, who is also chairman of the Black Male Media Project, was a two-term president of the North Carolina Association of Black Journalists, NABJ Region III Director.

Tre’vell Anderson is a two-term NABJ Region IV Director, former president of the Los Angeles chapter of NABJ, and has co-chaired the NABJ LGBTQ+ Task Force since 2017. Anderson (who uses they/ them pronouns) is an independent journalist, writer and host of two podcasts: Crooked Media’s “What A Day’’ and Maximum Fun’s “FANTI.” Anderson emphasized they were ready to make changes in NABJ with his campaign platform based on “meeting this moment, and the next.”

Lemon reflected on the importance of NABJ’s role in the current political moment before the election results were announced.

“They’re trying to erase our history, “ Lemon said to the NABJ Monitor. “We’re the tellers of history - the keepers of history. We need to do everything we can to make sure we stay around.”

Of the additional contested board races, Amir Vera was voted into a second term as vice president of digital over Vance Lang.

Grant Hines was voted student representative over two opponents, Alex Perry and Anthony Council.

Amendments pass The four proposed amendments selected for the ballot were passed, including two controversial ones that stirred debate between members.

Eighty-three percent of voters (561 votes) voted “yes” on proposal No. 3, which “formalizes an appeal process” for members of NABJ who violate the organization’s code of conduct and code of ethics.

Eighty-four percent of voters (563 votes) voted “yes” on proposal No. 4, which establishes an official quorum for the annual NABJ business meeting. The language for the quorum amendment states that 51% of a majority of the voting membership must be registered at the convention, and no less than 5% of that number must be present at the business meeting for any resolution to take effect.

Eighty-eight percent of voters (509 votes), voted “yes” on proposal No. 1, which states that NABJ board members are prohibited from accepting any salary from the NABJ. Board members are only allowed to receive compensation for preapproved expenses that relate directly to their board service.

Eighty-five percent of voters (573 votes), voted “yes” on proposal No. 2, which allows emerging professionals to be eligible to serve on the NABJ Board of Directors, but not the NABJ executive board. Emerging professionals are classified as having less than five years of experience in the journalism industry and will be unable to hold positions of president, VP Broadcast, VP Print, VP Digital, secretary, treasurer and parliamentarian.

Kathryn Styer Martinez contributed to this report

KATHRYN STYER MARTINEZ /NABJ MONITOR

Tre’vell Anderson congratulates Ken Lemon after his win is announced

“We [NABJ] need to do everything we can to make sure we stay around.”

-KEN LEMON NEWLY ELECTED PRESIDENT

CL A R I F I C AT I O N The story in the Aug. 4 issue of The Monitor about the NABJ/ NAHJ 2024 joint convention split has been updated online to reflect requests made by NAHJ regarding its decision to meet jointly to celebrate its 40th anniversary alone, include a response from NAHJ President Yvette Cabrera and to clarify NABJ Executive Director Drew Berry’s opinion on the 2024 joint convention split in Chicago. Find it at http:// nabjmonitor.com/2023/.

LE T ’ S CO N N EC T THE NABJ MONITOR

N A B J M O N I TO R .CO M / 2 0 2 3

S AT U R DAY, AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 3

HBCUs grapple with campus activism In extreme political climate, are HBCUs ready to foster political generation?

BY ELIJAH PITTMAN

America is enduring a turbulent political climate, with legislation and U.S. Supreme Court rulings radically stripping back progress. The SCOTUS has repealed abortion protections and affirmative action, while several states have banned books and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Historically, the response to political turbulence has taken place in young adult spaces, specifically college campuses.

Nearly fifty years ago, in a similarly politically turbulent time, America went through several political movements, the rise of the Black Panthers, the anti-war movement, and the 1969 Morehouse College protest, all inspired or started on college campuses.

“The revolution has always been in the hands of the young,” Huey P. Newton, the founder of the Black Panther Party, told The Movement in a 1968 interview while sitting in a jail cell.

As many of the legislative and SCOTUS actions affect Black people, it is worth looking at HBCUs as an institution and student population to gauge how the Black community may grapple with these changes.

“HBCUs are not here to produce that [a politically active Black generation].

They’re here to produce a black bourgeoisie or middle class, a compliant and sort of acceptable version of blackness that is decidedly not revolutionary,” said Dr. Jared Ball, professor of Africana Studies and Communications at Morgan State University.

Dr. Ball argues that after the Black Power movement, collegiate institutions explicitly sought out science, technology, engineering, and math-related (STEM) programs with the idea that said fields are less likely to produce radical activists.

Another major reason HBCUs sought out STEM programs is the state and federal governments’ historic underfunding of HBCUs. In 1958, during the Cold War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education Act, which

KATHRYN STYER MARTINEZ/NABJ MONITOR

Dr. Jared Bell of Morgan State University.

allowed universities to secure funding by increasing their STEM programs.

“I came to a realization that we were being groomed to be something that I didn’t necessarily want to be. The Morehouse College administration was rooted in some old-school things…You would be a great doctor, a great lawyer, maybe a great scientist. I didn’t want to be just another negro in the advancement of America card,” Samuel L. Jackson said in a 2018 interview with the Hollywood Reporter.

Jackson’s sentiments echo those of students today as well. On social media platforms, students from all schools have pointed out the contrasts between their business or engineering schools and their fine arts or liberal arts schools.

“One of my friend’s goals was to create a Tuskegee fine arts club because they wanted students to come out and express themselves, but we don’t have a Tuskegee fine arts…or liberal arts,” said Scotteria Scott, a rising junior at Tuskegee University.

Scott is an animal science major and the community service chair at Tuskegee University. She said that her school needs to do more to support her NAACP chapter and that it wasn’t until her third year that the chapter was informed about conference opportunities for networking.

When asked about how her university reacted to abortion laws and the banning of books in Alabama, Ayalana Fry, a student at Alabama State University said her university doesn’t deal with controversy well.

“Alabama State is all about administration and just making themselves look good,” Fry said.

Despite HBCUs falling short of some students’ desires, there are incremental ways to make space for new political spaces and ideologies at HBCUs. Faculty themselves can center more radical and revolutionary content in their syllabi and curricula, according to Dr. Ball.

“When it comes to protesting or having more radical beliefs I think specifically the administration has done things to kind of swipe that history under the rug,” said Trinity Webster-Bass, a junior studying Broadcast journalism and Afro-American studies at Howard University.

“Any institution can produce its opposite, it’s just not designed to do it,” Dr. Ball said when asked about what students could do to revolutionize their peers. “Students at any HBCU can use that time and have that time impact them in a positive way.”

Scott plans to stay on the e-board of the NAACP at her school to secure a president position so she can be more involved with operations and the prominence of the NAACP at her school.

“I feel like we just have to do more with advertising, we do stuff at the school but is anyone capturing those moments? Is anyone showing students that you can do this [community service] but we’re actually going to help you, you don’t have to do it on your own,” Scott said.

The president of the NAACP at Tuskegee University highlighted the events that their chapter has hosted recently.

“We were given the opportunity to volunteer for several hours and we had a booth set up on the yard to make sure that parents and students could get registered to vote,” said Seanna Brooks, a rising senior and president of Tuskegee University’s NAACP.

THE NAB J MONITOR

MENTOR S

AMANDA ANDREWS SHAKARI BRIGGS BOB BUTLER LISA COX ALLISON DAVIS STEPHON DINGLE JAYA FRANKLIN CAROL GANTT QUINCY HODGES DENISE JAMES DANESE KENON TRAMON LUCAS LEELANNEE MALIN JEAN NORMAN FELICIA VASQUEZ ARLENE WASHINGTON ALEXIS WILSON REGGIE WILSON ANTHONY WILSON

03

04 S AT U R DAY , AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 3

N A B J M O N I TO R .CO M / 2 0 2 3

DILOK KLAISATAPON

Misinformation Targeting Black Communities Thrives The Goal of Misinformation Is Not to Persuade But to Make Readers Cynical, Expert Says

BY ELIJAH PITTMAN

Misinformation is a term that has been thrown around loosely in American politics, especially in the wake of the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

Fox News, Joe Rogan and Facebook have all played key roles as some of the largest purveyors of misinformation in America since the 2016 presidential

election. In April 2023, Fox News fired its most popular host, Tucker Carlson, over his spread of conspiracies and misinformation on his talk show, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” which led to a lawsuit against Fox. Rogan’s podcast episodes have peddled many COVID-19 conspiracies, among them being that the vaccine alters genes and that the health risks

N A B J M O N I TO R .CO M / 2 0 2 3

from the vaccine are greater for young people than from COVID-19 itself.

Facebook, the largest social media platform in the world, received significant flak for its platforming of misinformation. According to CNN, misinformation accounted for the majority of engagement with far-right posts compared to posts from the farleft on Facebook.

Misinformation that targets the white American public has been under a microscope in mainstream American media; however, misinformation targeted at Black communities has been left largely unacknowledged and running rampant.

“The core thing is having a basic understanding of what misinformation is,” said Dr. Jason Johnson, professor of media literacy at Morgan State University. “You have propaganda where you convince or change opinions; advertising, which is trying to get you to buy into something; and slander, which is dishonest or negatively frames things. All of these can be a part of misinformation.”

Johnson said that misinformation, especially under the guise of gossip, is not a new phenomenon and has existed in literate communities since their existence. He cites a humorous example of citizens of early civilizations writing on walls in town centers to gossip about extra-marital affairs among their government officials.

“So it’s not that Black people are any more susceptible to misinformation than white people; we are not,” Johnson said. “The difference is that when you compound the lack of education and the lower literacy levels of Black people, it means that the amount of information that we consume collectively may not be as big.”

The Shade Room, a popular “gossip and news” social media account that covers Black pop culture and viral topics, tailors its content to satisfy the desire for gossip. However, the mixing of gossip and news dissemination can be an quick gateway to misinformation.

“A year ago, you had all of these articles--and the Shade Room did one--

S AT U R DAY, AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 3

where it was like, the Biden administration is, you know, refusing to fund HBCUs. It wasn’t true,” Johnson said.

“The budget hadn’t changed at all. In fact, the Biden administration was giving more money.”

Hollywood Unlocked, which has a similar platform to The Shade Room, reported on Instagram that Queen Elizabeth II died in February 2022.

The queen, however, didn’t die until September 2022.

When the owner of Hollywood Unlocked, Jason Lee, was confronted about the story, he refused to retract it and defended his evidently faulty sources. Hollywood Unlocked has more than 3.4 million followers on Instagram, which is far less than The Shade Room, but demonstrates the trickle-down effect of such a large account.

Black Wealth, another account on Instagram that follows the “gossip and news” format, has also spread misinformation. Black Wealth, which has more than 290,000 followers, frames itself as a media/news company “normalizing excellence and generational wealth.”

In June, Black Wealth posted that Venus and Serena Williams were the first Black women to own an NFL team, the Miami Dolphins. Stephen Ross is the majority owner of the team. The Williams sisters do own a 0.5% stake each. The post attempted to frame the Williams sisters as NFL team owners in an attempt to promote Black excellence and wealth.

“People form their opinions not because they can recall the actual facts that they built their opinions on,” Johnson said. “They start passively collecting information over time and develop a point of view that even they can’t explain with points of logic.

“That’s usually the goal of disinformation,” he said. “It’s not usually to persuade someone. It’s usually to get them to detach and to become paranoid and to become cynical so that they do not organize and resist.”

05

Experts explore AI’s threat to journalism

SAG-AFTRA Officer notes concern about tech’s ability to duplicate broadcast journalists’ work

BY MAIYA TENÉ

Artificial intelligence is being used to conduct research, write stories and even generate photos. However, some creative industries are pushing back against this technology.

One key issue in the months-long strike of the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA, unions based in Hollywood representing writers and actors, is the entertainment industry’s desire to use more artificial intelligence.

This has become a particular concern in newsrooms, and the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists in Birmingham addressed the issue with experts from journalism, tech and the White House.

“I know that all technology has its positive elements and actually helps some of our members do their work,” said Mary Cavallaro, SAG-AFTRA’s chief broadcast officer. SAG-AFTRA also represents broadcast newscasters.

“But we are very concerned about AI in terms of the way that it could impact our members’ work, how they do their work but also in terms of your likeness and your sound in terms of your image,” she said.

Some AI programs can create lifelike video images and recordings of people.

Associated Press Executive Editor Julie Pace admits AI is now ubiquitous and she understands why newsrooms would want

to use it.

“We have to, as newsroom leaders, make sure that we’re not saying that cost is the only factor,” said Pace.

“Of course it would be cheaper to replace all of your staff with technology, of course it would be cheaper,” she said. “That’s not the right thing to do because it doesn’t represent the values of our industry.”

The AI revolution is already taking place outside the United States. A network in India is using an AI anchor to deliver the news. That sends chills down the spines of broadcasters and prompts the obvious question, Could it happen here?

“It’s hard to predict,” Pace said. “I would say that it’s another opportunity to show what is the value of having the human anchor.

“You could have an AI anchor, you could have an AI newsroom but what does the human anchor bring?”

SAG-AFTRA’s Cavallaro believes the human anchor brings what the artificial anchor cannot.

“Humans understand human emotions, what our fears are, what our concerns are, what is important to us,” Cavallaro said.

“The reason why the work of journalists is so important is because you make that connection. And I don’t think you can take that human effort and have it manipulated by a machine to do the job the way it’s supposed to be done.”

BOB BUTLER/NABJ MONITOR

Jericka Duncan, a correspondent with CBS News, moderates a panel on artificial intelligence Thursday at the NABJ Convention in Birmingham.

06 S AT U R DAY, AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 3

N A B J M O N I TO R .CO M / 2 0 2 3

ALL ABOUT HAIR

NABJ Conventioneers Display Natural Styles in a State With No Crown Act TEXT BY MAIYA TANÉ PHOTOS BY EDI H. DOH AND CASSANDRA DUMAY

Attendees of the NABJ Convention and Career Fair show their natural hairstyles.

Clockwise from above: Sarah Kazadi-Ndoye, Nadirah Simmons, Jalsa Drinkard, Briana Collier, SeMaj Musco, Taylor Gilchrist and Nana aba Duncan.

N A B J M O N I TO R .CO M / 2 0 2 3

S AT U R DAY, AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 3

“Overall they like me to press their hair out and wear it in more of a flow.”

Karmen Perry, Birmingham hair stylist

07

Across the nation, 22 states have passed the Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair or CROWN Act, but Alabama is not one of them. The legislation prohibits race-based discrimination based on hair texture and styling.

Birmingham is known for its Southern traditions and formalities which include strict standards for Black women’s hair.

Karmen Perry, a Birmingham hair stylist and owner of the salon Lavish Lounge Suites, said the traditional hair standards stop many of her clients from wearing their natural curly hair to work.

“Overall they like me to press their hair out and wear it in more of a flow,” Perry said. “I have a lot of clients who are doctors and lawyers, and in that field they feel like their hair is perceived better when it’s pressed out versus in its natural curly pattern.”

Black women often experience hair discrimination in the workplace. Bria Chatman is a news anchor at WBRC FOX6 in Birmingham. She said anchors must consider how people may react before selecting a hairstyle.

“We have to make sure our hair is right because that’s part of our presentation,” Chatman said. “You know, I’m on TV, so I have to make sure that I look good, I present well because any little thing, no matter what the story is, they want to see how I look.”

Hair maintenance comes at a cost. When it comes to natural hair, there are two main factors clients consider: time and money. Chatman said that some days styling her hair can throw off her morning routine.

“I’ve got to get out the door, she said. “Drying my hair in the morning, that takes a while. My hair is usually soaking wet.”

To save time some women in Birmingham are choosing to wear their hair straightened or tucked away in wigs and braids.

“I’ve got a lot to consider,” Chatman said. “I usually lean towards those because I can just wake up, take the scarf off, even if I do work out and just still get out the door.”

Braided or straightened hair styles can be more convenient and cost effective. Perry said that many of her clients are choosing another style to cut down on their spending.

“It’s a little costly coming in a lot to get your hair pressed out”, she said. “They’re trying to figure out, by going back to a relaxer, would it have helped them in their everyday life?”

Hair relaxers are making a comeback in Birmingham. Perry said she’s already seeing women go back to the controversial style, which is a chemical process that permanently changes hair to loosen curls or straighten them completely.

The future of women’s hair in Birmingham is still being decided.

The CROWN Act is still working its way through Alabama’s legislature. Until then the question remains women will decide for themselves to wear their natural hair or bring back relaxers.

“Over this past week I had about six of my clients asking me how I feel about doing relaxers on their hair,” Perry said. “I’m good with either way they want to do it as long as they stick to a regimen and the hair is not breaking off.”

08 S AT U R DAY , AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 3

N A B J M O N I TO R .CO M / 2 0 2 3

WLBT

William Dilday stands by the unveiled WLBT Mississippi Freedom Trail marker May 9, 2018.

Broadcast Pioneer Remembered for Paving Way for Black Journalists William Dilday Was Nation’s First Black Manager of Network-Affiliated Station

“He would smile and then kind of gently move the subject onto something else, not highlighting his own contributions.”

BARBARA CIARA, FORMER NABJ PRESIDENT

BY LENTHEUS CHANEY

NABJ has been remembering broadcast pioneer and NABJ founder William Dilday this week after he died July 27 at age 85.

Fellow founders recalled their experiences with Dilday at the Founders Reception at the NABJ convention in Alabama on Friday evening.

In 1972 Dilday made history as the first Black manager of a network-affiliated television station, WLBT in Jackson, Mississippi. Under his leadership, the station became No. 1 in the Nielsen and Arbitron ratings, according to NABJ. Twelve years later, Dilday joined WJTV-TV as general manager and executive vice president.

During his long career, Dilday served as a board member of the National Association of Television Broadcasters and the National Broadcasting Company Affiliate Board. He served as a member of the Con-

gressional Black Caucus Communication Task Force, as well as a founding member of the 100 Black Men. Dilday received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Peabody Award, the National Mental Health Association Media Award, and two Iris Awards from the National Association of Television Program Executives.

NABJ Founder Allison Davis, former NABJ President Barbara Ciara and veteran correspondent and anchor Randall Pinkston remembered Dilday’s legacy and impact on journalism.

Dilday, according to Davis, opened doors for people who looked like him and placed them in positions of power.

“Bill Dilday was the first black general manager. So, for him, you know, he was responsible not only for a station,” Davis said. “Bill was also responsible for making sure that he could pave the way for other black managers, general managers of stations.”

Ciara said that she recalls Dilday as a humble man who didn’t relish being the center of attention.

“He was the type of individual who, you know, you couldn’t shower him with too much praise,” Ciara said. “He would smile and then kind of gently move the subject onto something else, not highlighting his own contributions.”

Pinkston, who was being inducted into the NABJ Hall of Fame this week, said that he was hired by Dilday right out of college when he was 23 years old despite it being a risky decision.

He appointed a 23-year-old kid out of the Columbia summer journalism program,” Pinkston said. “[A] huge risk because [a] 23-year-old black guy running the main newscast, he did it.”

Calling Dilday a “trailblazer” and “gem of NABJ,” President Dorothy Tucker said in a statement, “He will never be forgotten,” she said.

Dilday is survived by his wife, Maxine, his daughters Erika and Kenya, son Scott Sparrow, brothers James and Clarence, and four grandchildren. Services for Dilday will be held Aug. 9 at 11 a.m. at Cyprian’s Episcopal Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

N A B J M O N I TO R .CO M / 2 0 2 3

S AT U R DAY, AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 3

City’s First MLB Game to Honor Negro Leagues Next Year Nation’s Oldest Baseball Park, Rickwood Field, Names Annual Event After Part of Its History

BY ALYSSA COOPER

Speculation surrounding the name of the inaugural Major League Baseball game next year at Rickwood Field has been put to rest as the game will be called MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues.

MLB held an NABJ-exclusive event for members attending the convention to announce the name of the historic game next June pitting the St. Louis Cardinals against

the San Francisco Giants.

“The Negro League produced champions in more ways than one,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin.

Birmingham has approved more than $500,000 in spending for renovations in preparation for the inaugural MLB game in the city. New dugouts will also be added.

Rickwood Field, the oldest baseball stadium in America, was built in 1910 and in its 113-year history, more than 75% of MLB’s

Hall of Fame inductees have taken the field there. However, within that history, MLB failed to acknowledge the legacy of the Negro Leagues.

Rickwood was home to the Birmingham Black Barons, a Negro League team that produced stars such as Satchel Paige and Willie Mays. The team first competed at Rickwood Field in 1924 and continued until 1960, collecting four Negro League titles along the way.

Many Black boys in Birmingham grew up with Mays, Paige and others as role models, including former MLB player and World Series champion Ron “Papa Jack” Jackson.

Jackson has since returned to Birmingham after spending decades coaching players in the Major Leagues and has given back to the community through baseball

and mentorship.

“We’re not just baseball coaches,” Jackson said. “We are life skills coaches too.”

“I can’t imagine a journalism hall of fame without Lewis.”

years old, someone who founded this newspaper at the height of the civil rights movement.”

The newspaper still operates in the original building that Lewis purchased in 1964 on 3rd Avenue in Birmingham’s Ensley neighborhood. He never had plans to move from the small buildings and expand the publication, even though his original aspirations were to acquire a building downtown.

“I’m in a safe location,” Lewis said. “Nobody’s ever broke in this building. Nobody’s ever done anything. I know the people across the street and they know me, and we need one another. That’s important to me.”

Lewis said journalists shouldn’t forget those who helped them in their careers.

“You were put here to help somebody, and I don’t forget that, whether they return it, don’t worry about that,” he said.

The Birmingham Times continues its mission to inspire the next generation of Black journalists and Lewis laid the foundation for that to happen.

“He’s had a tremendous impact not only professionally as a business person, someone who knows journalism, but also personally who just tells all of these stories that he has encountered,” Wright said.

BARNETT WRIGHT, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, BIRMINGHAM TIMES

Framed photo of Dr. Jesse Lewis outside of the Birmingham Times headquarters on Aug. 1.

COURTESY OF VINCENT PARKER

Birmingham Times Founder Gets NABJ Hall of Fame Seat Jesse Lewis Started Paper in 1964; Also Led Lawson Community College, Sold Coca-Cola

BY GRANT HINES

Jesse Lewis, founder of the Birmingham Times, has been inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists’ Hall of Fame. Lewis founded the weekly newspaper in 1964, the same year the Civil Rights

Act was signed into law.

“I wasn’t no different than the average kid growing up,” Lewis said. “I wanted everything.”

Lewis, also a World War II veteran, has been president of Lawson Community Col-

09

lege, a salesman for Coca-Cola, in addition to owning multiple properties throughout Birmingham.

He dropped out of high school to join the U.S. Army, but after returning from World War II, he earned his diploma. He then enrolled at Miles College in Fairfield, Ala. where he chartered the Gamma Kappa chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the nation’s oldest Black fraternity.

“I can’t imagine a journalism hall of fame without Lewis,” said Barnett Wright, who Lewis hired several years ago as executive editor of the Birmingham Times. “Who better to learn from than someone who’s 98

Randy Winn, Ryan Howard and CC Sabathia share the same sentiment as they also provide mentorship to young athletes.

Sabathia specifically is heavily involved with the Players Alliance, started by fellow former black MLB players Dee Gordon, Edwin Jackson and Cameron Maybin during 2020. The Players Alliance provides mentorship by professional MLB players and participated in a community outreach and advocacy in the wake of George Floyd.

Renovations to the stadium will begin in October and should be complete ahead of the game scheduled for 2024.

10 S AT U R DAY , AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 3

N A B J M O N I TO R .CO M / 2 0 2 3

Birmingham’s House of Cuts Helps Customers ‘Look Good for the Hood’

BY JAMAREAN HEARD NABJ JSHOP REPORTER

NABJ JSHOP23 REPORTERS

MARIAMA DIALLO P.D. Jackson Olin High School

SIGOURNEY BELL Briarwood Christian School Graduate

JUNIOR

S Y R AC U S E U N I V E R S I T Y FRESHMAN

JAMAREAN HEARD Ramsay High School

NAOMI AARON Homewood High School

SENIOR

SENIOR

When customers enter the Birmingham House of Cuts, the men will likely get more than just a taper or a fade and the ladies a wash and curl.

There’s Torrey Walker, a barber who helps customers “look good for the hood,” but is also quick to offer sage advice on anything to anyone who will listen, especially to young people in need of some guidance.

“Stay focused. Stay in school,” said Walker, who has been at the barbershop/ hair salon situated outside of downtown Birmingham for five years, to a group of NABJ JSHOP reporters visiting several local Black-owned small businesses on Tuesday.

“Make sure you get your diploma.

NABJ JSHOP REPORTER

KATY MAHAND Ramsay High School Graduate

SENIOR

UNIVERSIT Y OF ALABAMA FRESHMAN

JACARI DILLARD Ramsay High School

ERIAL MALONE Ramsay High School

SENIOR

SENIOR

her styling. Maynor said her goals are simple and straightforward: keep her customers happy and coming back to the shop.

And like any emerging entrepreneur, Maynor wants to have her own shop one day. She believes that if you put God first, “everything else will fall into place in due time.”

“Get in a profession that you believe you will thrive in,” Maynor said. “Don’t do what everybody else expects you to do.”

For more information, go to https://thehouseofcuts.com/ Follow House of Cuts on Instagram at @birminghamhouseofcuts

Black Optomestrist Eyes Big Vision For Historic Downtown Birmingham

BY KATY MAHAND

TAYLYN TOLBERT Ramsay High School

Don’t let the streets call,” Walker added.

“They will call you. You don’t need to answer.”

Marcus Williams, a regular client at the establishment, agrees. He loves the hospitality and has “no plans to change barbers for a long time.”

However, haircuts isn’t the only thriving business in this building owned by Jimmy Shallow, a local businessman.

Stylist Mia Maynor occupies space for her growing “Shades of Mia” clientele who come to her for various hair styles including pixie cuts, extensions, silk press weaves, twists, braids and loc maintenance. She even shapes eyebrows!

Maynor, who has been sharing space at House of Cuts for two years, said she makes an effort to be diversified” with

It’s no wonder that Dr. Juanakee Adams, the first Black female optometrist in Alabama, has an infectious energy that explodes throughout her office.

Adams, owner of Adams’ Eye Care in downtown Birmingham, continues to make waves by supporting her community from within, she said. Her business is located in the heart of the city’s Civil Rights District.

She has been in practice since 1980.

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Adams, 66, was buzzing around the office as she shared highlights from her life and career, including writing three books, starring in a reality show about

seniors in the south, and she can be seen in the background of the movie, “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion.”

Adams said she learned she could study to become an optometrist while she was a biology major in school at Dillard University in New Orleans. She said she started studying at Dillard when she was 16 years old and later completed the optometry program at Indiana University.

“I had never been to an eye doctor, and it was just intriguing,” she said.

Adams explained that after graduation, she tried to get a job in Birmingham, but there were only three Black optometrists practicing in the state, and they were all male.

“I guess I was not marketable because it was not something that had been done, so I had to start my own practice,” she said.

Dr. Colleen Dent, another doctor at the practice, has been working at Adams’ Eye Care since 2018. She is the second female Black optometrist to graduate from University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Optometry.

Dent said her advice for young black women and men aspiring to get into the profession is: “Pray about it.”

Adams said she was proud to become a part of the narrative of Birmingham and sees it as an intense responsibility. She said she and her practice represent community, passion and diversity.

N A B J M O N I TO R .CO M / 2 0 2 3

S AT U R DAY, AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 3

11

Birmingham to Open Exhibit of Iconic Civil Rights Photographer Chris McNair

BY SIGOURNEY BELL NABJ JSHOP REPORTER

JSHOP23 STAFF

SoulSistah3.0, a cultural clothing boutique owned by Tamica Banks, left, is one of the new Black businesses in Birmingham.

‘We Inspire the Culture’: Boutique Connects African Fashion to Birmingham

BY SIGOURNEY BELL AND ERIAL MALONE NABJ JSHOP REPORTER

On the outside, Tamica Banks’ brainchild is located off the beaten path at a nondescript business park in Mountain Brook, Ala., a small Birmingham suburb.

But tucked inside a small office lies SoulSistah3.0, an African-inspired clothing boutique full of colorful patterns, jewelry and oils seeking to become a staple on the local fashion scene.

Banks, who founded her business in 2017, told NABJ JSHOP she was inspired to create SoulSistah3.0 as a way to help her mostly female customers connect with their African roots.

She strongly believes that Black women are influential to modern fashion not only by style, but also by beauty.

“We inspire the culture,” she said.

Banks said her inspiration for SoulSistah comes from frequent visits to Ghana to collaborate with a team of women to help choose fabrics and create the vibrant hand-made designs that drape on the store’s sales racks. Banks often sells her

wares at local events, by customer referrals and through social media sites like Instagram.

She sees her business as a sign of independence, not only for Black women in Birmingham embracing their African identities, but also as a way to financially help the Ghanaian women she collaborates with.

Banks hopes she can someday work on SoulSistah full-time and move from its tiny space and expand into a big storefront in downtown Birmingham. She also wants to be able to offer scholarships to young women seeking to create their own businesses.

“Your paths build a brighter future,” Banks said.

For more information, follow SoulSistah3.0 on Instagram at soulsistah3.0_.

As Birmingham continues commemorating the 60th anniversary of its pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement, city officials on Tuesday announced a new exhibit titled “Through His Eye: The Photography of Chris McNair.”

The free exhibit, featuring 22 of McNair’s photos, is what Edward Bowser, the city’s deputy director of communications, described during an exclusive interview Monday with NABJ JSHOP students as “History coming to light.”

McNair was a milkman who opened a photography studio in 1962, right when Birmingham became a focal point during the Civil Rights movement. McNair and his camera lens were often front and center as his work includes iconic images of civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Rosa Parks and A.G. Gaston, a prominent Birmingham businessman.

The exhibit also centers around McNair’s daughter, Denise. The 11-year-old was one of four little girls tragically killed

during the infamous 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963 that led to numerous protests. Bowser said McNair’s family wanted to share the photos to not only help tell their story, but also give a new perspective that is not as well known to the public.

“Most of these images have never been seen before,” Bowser said, as the exhibit’s purpose is “not to relive the past, but instead let the past inform our future.”

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin agrees.

“This exhibition not only showcases his artistic prowess but also serves as a moving tribute to leaders of the movement, foot soldiers and McNair’s daughter Denise, reminding us of the sacrifices made during those challenging times,” Woodfin said in a news release.

Open to the public, the exhibit will run from Tuesday through Sept. 16 on the second floor at Birmingham City Hall, 710 20th Street North.

NAB J JSHO P23 FACULT Y SHERYL KENNEDY HAYDEL (CHAIR)

TONI HARRIGAN

Interim Dean, College of Music and Media Loyola University New Orleans

Public Relations Specialist LCMC Health

NEW ORLEANS, L A

NEW ORLEANS, L A

DANA LITTLEFIELD

TERRY COLLINS

Public Safety Editor The San Diego Union-Tribune

National Reporter USA TODAY

S A N D I E G O, C A

OA K L A N D, C A

LADONNA COLÓN

RUSSELL LACOUR

Media Content Creator| Premiere Pro Video EditorLoyola LaDoMedia International

The Oklahoma Eagle

M C K I N N E Y, T X

TULSA , OK

N A B J M O N I TO R .CO M / 2 0 2 3

S AT U R DAY, AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 3

12

Making Space for Black Women in a White Man’s Sport ‘Black Girls Do Bike’ Advocates for Women of Color in Cycling World

BY KATHRYN STYER MARTINEZ

Catina Passmore is part of a growing trend in Birmingham. More and more Black women are riding bikes for leisure, recreation and competition. And she’s helping to lead that change.

Passmore said she looked at herself in the mirror one day in 2015 and realized her body had changed. The inspiration to get on her bike and ride swept over her, but she didn’t want to ride alone.

“And so I just went to Google, honestly, and I searched for black women, cyclists,” Passmore said, “and Black Girls Do Bike, it was the first club that came up.”

The Birmingham-based IT worker and deejay founded the local chapter of Black Girls Do Bike, a biking group that specifically makes space for Black women to explore and enjoy biking in the Birmingham area.

She had been riding her bike before starting the cycling chapter, but after its creation, the club took on a greater role in her life. Biking first helped her achieve weight loss goals, and then it became a way to engage in community advocacy for Black women and cyclists.

“Back then, when we started in 2015, cycling in Birmingham was very much a white man’s sport,” Passmore said. “Now, keep in mind, a lot of those folks we know, we love, we ride with–but I wanted something different.”

Since tearing her ACL at Roam Fest in May 2022, Passmore has been off the bike.

She crashed at the event while riding a mountain bike, which she was learning, and though it laid her up, it also helped her meet one of her biking heroes, Brooke Goudy, who founded Black Girls Do Bike.

“And so I was going fast. I think Brooke was behind me actually,” said Passmore.

Goudy, like Passmore, is from Alabama.

Now, she lives in Colorado and organizes biking clinics for Black women and women

“Here in this city to see a group of Black women riding, and to ride with a group of Black women is just empowering.”

COURTESY OF CATINA PASSMORE.

CATINA PASSMORE, FOUNDER OF BLACK GIRLS DO BIKE BIRMINGHAM CHAPTER

Black Girls Do Bike Birmingham Chapter founder Catina Passmore, left, with rider Larita-Giles Lee, right.

COURTESY OF CATINA PASSMORE.

of color.

She’s been cycling since she was a kid.

“I got a bike for Christmas, I rode around the neighborhood. I was always a pretty adventurous person,” Goudy said. “But the culture wasn’t super bikey in Montgomery when she was there.”

Goudy didn’t start riding mountain bikes until about six years ago. When she would go to the Granby Bike Park with her former partner she recalled it felt weird to see another woman in the line-up. Seeing another Black woman biking was rarer.

Goudy, who lives in Denver, is a registered nurse who followed her musical and artistic dreams to Colorado. But she

became a sponsored athlete this year and now makes all her money from biking.

Goudy is committed to breaking down the barriers that keep women from participating in cycling–especially Black women.

During the racial reckoning of summer 2020, Goudy said she worked with organizations making big efforts to diversify the sport. But she started to feel uncomfortable with the “white savior” attitude in mainstream bike organizations.

So she left and created her own organization, one that was entirely composed of people of color.

“So that if you were struggling with your helmet, that you could go to the person at

the registration tent and it would be another black woman or another brown woman,” Goudy said. “...They could feel comfortable asking, ‘How do I get this helmet over my dreads?”

She created a nonprofit called Rowdy Goudy in 2021 to create space where women can support each other at the races and at home.

Beyond racing and clinics, Goudy is also focused on mental well-being and self-care.

“I think one of the biggest barriers is the social-emotional aspect, like showing up and like being the only one,” said Goudy.

“I really want to show Black joy,” she said. “We spent a lot of time talking about black trauma. I think that’s really important,” but Goudy adds that she’s excited Black joy is taking a more prominent role in discourse after the racial reckoning of 2020.

For Goudy, like Passmore, representation matters. At the start of a mountain bike race, Goudy usually wears her signature red lipstick, a small act of embracing her femininity while competing in what can often be a hyper masculine space.

Like Goudy, Passmore is passionate about creating spaces to inspire young Black and brown girls, and it starts with a bike ride.

“Here in this city to see a group of Black women riding, and to ride with a group of Black women is just empowering,” said Passmore.

Women from ages 25 to 65 participate in Black Girls Do Bike Birmingham rides.

She hopes that even younger girls can join the rides in the future.

“Because those ladies, those young girls, they look up to us,” Passmore said. “They see us when we ride the neighborhood, right? So I would like them to be included.”