Save the Date: March 24 for Roundtable on Student Journalists of Color (Notices 3-13-26)
March 13: Registration Deadline for Chat With Astronaut Alum Ed Dwight
Ibram Kendi Arrives at Howard U. with ‘The Emancipator’
March 14: NABJ Conference in College Park, Md.
March 15: Ready for Black Press Week

Sunshine Week — for Open Records, Gov’t — Starts March 15
March 15: Deadline for Students to Apply for Neuharth Conference

March 18: Media Briefing on Defending Constitution
March 23: RTDNA Webinar on Reclaiming Your Career
March 23: Where Entertainment Meets Journalism
March 23: Deadline for SPJ Ethics Award Nominations
March 24: Safety Training for Journalists

March 26: Progress on African Health Programs
March 26:  Nonprofit Local News: Careers, Pathways, Possibilities
Reminder for March 28: D.C.’s Journalism Job Fair
April 3: Deadline to Apply for Rosalynn Carter Fellowships
April 9: Webinar on ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Impact on Black Households
From Zita Arocha: July 2026: Writing Your Life, Writing to Heal

JOBS
From these journalist organizations
National Association of Hispanic Journalists
National Association of Black Journalists
Asian American Journalists Association
Poynter Institute

Society of Professional Journalists
Public Media Jobs.
Online News Association
Rebecca Aguilar’s Journalism Job Openings: The January List” (Jan. 6)
From Committee to Protect Journalists

The University of Alabama stopped Nineteen Fifty-Six, named after the year the first Black student, Autherine Lucy Foster, was allowed to enroll at the university. (Credit: Nineteen Fifty-Six)

Hello, all,

Our next Journal-isms Roundtable, by Zoom, will be held Tuesday, March 24, at 7 p.m. Eastern by Zoom. The subject: Student journalists of color in these times of anti-immigration and anti-DEI actions by federal, state and local authorities.

Also up for discussion: Other aspects of life for this next generation of professional journalists of color.
What problems are they having? Are they receiving enough help? What do the rest of us need to know?

This was published earlier in the week:
Howard Students Are Rethinking Their Future In Journalism:
Black Journalists Are Under Attack, And Howard Students Are Rethinking Their Future In The Industry

And many will recall the case of Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, who was detained by the Trump administration for more than a month last year after she wrote an op-ed piece in the student newspaper advocating for Palestinians.

The Miami Herald reported last week: “The secretary of Miami-Dade County’s Republican Party started a group chat primarily for conservative students last fall — and within three weeks it was filled with racist slurs, someone wrote dozens of ways of violently killing Black people and the chat was renamed after what one member described as ‘Nazi heaven’ ”

Moreover, an observer says bluntly, “The state of Black college media right now is really, really bad.”

Organizations such as the Freedom of the Press Foundation and the Student Press Law Center are coming to the aid of affected students, and we hope to benefit from their expertise.

With us will be Kendal Wright (pictured), editor of Nineteen Fifty-Six at the University of Alabama, who with the editor of Alice magazine, which focuses on women’s issues, was informed in December that the university was stopping the magazines immediately. A university official cited July guidance from Attorney General Pamela Bondi on what the Trump administration considered unlawful discrimination at institutions that receive federal funding, according to one of the editors.

Likewise, Teresa Puente (pictured), who teaches at California State University, Long Beach. She says, “So far, my students haven’t faced any problems (thankfully) but I’m happy to talk about how I train them to cover immigration and other issues facing the Latinx community. We’ve also held Know Your Rights Trainings on campus. And I can talk about the impact of raids on the community at large. But also how we have to cover Latinos beyond immigration since more than 80% of us are U.S. citizens.”

We’re also expecting Nazeefa Ahmed (pictured), a current scholarship recipient from the South Asian Journalists Association who has been reporting both in Canada and the United States.

Also in the room:

• Daarel Burnette, senior editor at the Chronicle of Higher Education

• Shirley Carswell, executive director at Dow Jones News Fund

• Seth Stern, director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation

Who’s in? You can RSVP by hitting “reply” to this message or emailing jroundtable5 (at) gmail.com

March 13: Registration Deadline for Chat With Astronaut Alum Ed Dwight

On behalf of AMAZON MGM STUDIOS in partnership with SPACE FOR HUMANITY, it is our pleasure to invite you and a guest to attend The Afronaut LAUNCH & Learn on March 16th from 12pm – 2pm in support of the upcoming film, PROJECT HAIL MARY releasing nationwide on March 20.

Join us for an inspiring afternoon celebrating innovation, representation, and the limitless future of STEM. Guests will enjoy light bites and refreshments, while connecting with fellow STEM scholars.

The LAUNCH will feature an intimate fireside chat with retired NASA astronaut, Leland Melvin, the only person to make the leap from the NFL to the ISS, and Ed Dwight, who faced adversity as the first black Apollo astronaut candidate to eventually become the oldest person to ever go to space at age 90. They will share powerful reflections on space exploration, groundbreaking innovation, perseverance in the face of discrimination, and expanding access and opportunity within STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

PLEASE RSVP BY MARCH 13TH TO THE LINK HERE 

Watch the trailer HERE 

Inaugural Carter G. Woodson Endowed Chair Ibram X. Kendi officially accepting his Howard University position after the conferral. (Credit: Howard University News Service)

Ibram Kendi Arrives at Howard U. with ‘The Emancipator’

One year after Ibram X. Kendi’s hiring at Howard University was announced in January 2025, “a move that reportedly shocked faculty and drew national attention, Kendi was formally installed as the inaugural Carter G. Woodson Endowed Chair in the College of Arts and Sciences,” Zoe Cummings reported March 2 for the Howard University News Service.

“The bestselling author of ‘How to Be an Antiracist’ rose to be a leading voice during the 2020 racial justice movement sparked after the murder of George Floyd. Since then, his scholarship has inspired both praise and criticism, becoming shorthand in political debates over what opponents call ‘woke’ ideology. Now, his work finds a home at Howard, a move that Kendi hopes will bring donors, researchers and a renewed focus on history and scholarship. . . .

“His appointment coincides with the launch of Howard University’s Institute for Advanced Study, which he will direct. The institute will house a residential fellowship program aimed at supporting scholars and creators engaged in race-based research. In addition to mentoring fellows, Kendi plans to teach graduate courses, host campus-wide events and coordinate content for The Emancipator, a digital platform he co-founded that, as he describes it, ‘seeks to cover the scourge of racism and the anti-racist efforts to ameliorate it.’ [Kendi took up journalism as a Florida A&M University student].

“Together, the roles signal Howard’s investment not only in Kendi as a scholar, but also in the broader infrastructure of antiracist research and public scholarship.

“Halimah ‘Lima’ Abdullah (pictured), managing editor at The Emancipator who has been involved in the magazine’s transition to Howard, described the work as grounded in historical framing.

“ ‘We’re looking forward to doing the first wrap of history, which I consider the to be the news with a through line towards history. That’s how we best understand what’s happening now,’ she stated, adding gleefully,

“ ‘We are so excited.’ ”

March 15: Ready for Black Press Week

 

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Also:

Sunshine Week — for Open Records, Gov’t — Starts March 15

We’re counting down to #SunshineWeek 2026, March 15-21. Together, we champion #OpenRecords and #OpenGovernment nationwide March 15-21. #FOIA #transparency.

Free resources: sunshineweek.org (From National Society of Newspaper Columnists).

March 15: Deadline for Students to Apply for Neuharth Conference

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE & DEMAND DIVERSITY ROUNDTABLE MEMBERS UNVEIL ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR UPHOLDING THE CONSTITUTION, COMBATING MISINFORMATION AND SAFEGUARDING EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

March 23: RTDNA Webinar on Reclaiming Your Career

Upcoming Webinar: Reframe Your Story, Reclaim Your Career

Join RTDNA for an upcoming webinar focused on helping journalists navigate today’s evolving media landscape. “Reframe Your Story, Reclaim Your Career: Translating Skills for Today’s Media Ecosystem” will help media professionals identify how their existing skills translate across new roles and opportunities in the industry. The session will be led by Bridget Thoreson of Hearken and creator of MyCareerRiver.com. Thoreson will guide participants through mapping their career paths, positioning their skills and finding direction in a rapidly changing media environment. The webinar will take place Monday, March 23 from 2 to 3 p.m. EDT. Registration is free for RTDNA members and $25 for nonmembers.

March 23: Deadline for SPJ Ethics Award Nominations

SUBMIT NOMINATIONS FOR ETHICS IN JOURNALISM AWARD: Strong ethics build strong journalism. Celebrate those who lead by example by submitting a nomination for the Ethics in Journalism Award. The award honors journalists or news organizations that exemplify the highest ethical standards, as outlined in the SPJ Code of Ethics. It also recognizes those who make exceptional efforts to educate the public about ethical journalism or hold journalists accountable for their actions. Last year, The Associated Press received the award for standing firm against White House pressure while continuing to report accurately and ethically on the Trump administration, even after being denied access to presidential events. Nominations are due March 23. Self-nominations are welcome.

March 24: Safety Training for Journalists

USC Senior Fellows in Global Health Communication Leadership will present progress reports on their projects, which are going forward in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa. The Fellows include a Malawian MP, a Kenyan researcher in HIV and Aging, the editor-in-chief of Bhekisisa, and the OneHealth lead for the Africa CDC. (Credit: USC)

March 26: Progress on African Health Programs

From Adam Powell:

You and all of our Journal-isms friends are invited

If you can join us in Washington DC or online:

You are invited to join us on Thursday, March 26, at 9 am EDT, for a forum with the 2025-26 USC Africa Fellows, in person in Washington DC, their first stop in the US. The Fellows will present progress reports on their projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa.

To RSVP to join in person at George Washington University, 1957 E Street NW in Washington DC, please email Judy Kang at junghwak (at) usc.edu

To RSVP for the Zoom link, please go to https://annenberg.usc.edu/events/cclp/africaus-forum-global-health-public-diplomacy-and-international-collaboration-featuring

If you can join us in Los Angeles, we will have two public programs:

Monday 3/30 3-5 pm PDT. Same program as 3/26. Details and RSVP: https://annenberg.usc.edu/events/cclp/meet-2025-2026-usc-african-senior-fellows-global-health-communication-leadership

Tuesday 3/31 1-5 pm PDT. USC Global Health Symposium. Details and RSVP: https://globalhealth.usc.edu/iigh-event/save-the-date-2026-usc-global-health-symposium/

More details on the fellowship program at https://communicationleadership.usc.edu/2025/09/29/university-of-southern-california-welcomes-inaugural-cohort-of-african-senior-fellows-in-global-health-communication-leadership/

We look forward to hearing from you and hope to see you in Washington, Los Angeles and/or on line.

Regards,
Adam

Adam Clayton Powell III
Executive Director, USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative
USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy
University of Southern California, and
Co-Host, “White House Chronicle” weekly on PBS, SiriusXM and https://whchronicle.com/

email acpowell (at) usc.edu
email apowell (at) alum.mit.edu

March 26:  Nonprofit Local News: Careers, Pathways, Possibilities

Reminder for March 28: D.C.’s Journalism Job Fair

From: Society of Professional Journalists — D.C. Chapter

SPJ’s DC chapter is teaming up with seven journalism organizations In the DMV to host its annual job fair. The fair will be at Georgetown University’s Capitol Campus, 111 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Saturday, March 28 from 10 am- 2 pm.

Georgetown University’s Master of Professional Studies in Journalism program is hosting the event. It is being organized in conjunction with the Washington, D.C., chapters of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association, NLGJA: Association of LGBTQ Journalists, the Journalism & Women Symposium and the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association.

Recruiters from Axios, Politico, DC News Now, Bloomberg, NPR, States Newsroom,, Fox Television Stations, Report for America, and NBC Universal will be among those prospective employers on hand to meet interested job candidates.

This is a ticket only event. If you are a member of one of the sponsoring journalism groups, such as the SPJ DC chapter, tickets are $10. Otherwise, it is $25.

If you would like to volunteer or are currently jobless, admission is free, but you must contact the SPJ chapter president to get the discount code. Celia Wexler’s email is cvwexler (at) gmail.com

Each chapter has a limited number of free tickets to distribute, so it makes sense to register soon.

Deadline for ticket purchase is March 26.

Book your tickets HERE.  [From Doris Truong, formerly Poynter Institute, former Asian American Journalists Association president, now independent consultant: “Admission is waived for anyone who has been laid off in the past year.”]

April 9: Webinar on ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Impact on Black Households

We invite you to join the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies on Thurs. April 9, 2026, at 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM for the Taxing Consumption and Work: The Cost to Black Households webinar.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1) makes major changes to the federal tax code with implications that extend well beyond Washington. As federal revenue shifts and intergovernmental fiscal pressures intensify, states are likely to face renewed budget constraints which often lead to greater reliance on consumption taxes, fees, and other regressive revenue tools.

This cost shift translates into higher everyday expenses, from sales taxes and transportation costs to utility fees and local property tax pressures. Black households are particularly exposed to these shifts due to longstanding disparities in income and wealth and because state and local tax structures rely heavily on taxing work and consumption rather than accumulated wealth. . . . (From Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies)

From Zita Arocha: July 2026: Writing Your Life, Writing to Heal

JOBS

From these journalist organizations

• National Association of Hispanic Journalists

• National Association of Black Journalists

• Asian American Journalists Association

• Poynter Institute

• Society of Professional Journalists

• Public Media Jobs.

• Online News Association

Rebecca Aguilar’s Journalism Job Openings: The January List” (Jan. 6)

From Committee to Protect Journalists: