The 2026 National Association of Black Journalists Region II Conference took place this past weekend. The conference was held in Columbus, Ohio at the Hilton Columbus Downtown.
The conference brought together many of the Region II NABJ chapters such as Greater Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, St. Louis and Chicago. The conference follows the national 50th anniversary convention which was celebrated last August in Cleveland.
NABJ described the event as “… meaningful dialogue, practical skill-building, and future-focused strategies at the intersection of media, technology, and ownership.” Many panels were held to address these issues and stir conversation among Black journalists.
The first day addressed many of the pressing issues and concerns of modern Black journalism such as Senate Bill 1, the presence of A.I., as well as a helpful panel from a range of officials and law enforcement from across various levels of government. The panelists provided their own perspectives, strategies and recommended practices for reporting and covering public safety.
The second day of panels were also jam-packed with valuable discussions and workshops.
During lunch, NABJ President Errin Haines spoke to attendees, “…This is an opportunity to not just adapt to the future but to build it. To own our platforms, to control our narratives and to create institutions that are not dependent on systems that have never fully invested in us. That’s what ownership means in this moment and why gatherings like this conference matter so deeply.”
The NABJ Chicago Chapter discussed the upcoming launch of a chapter documentary. NABJCC President Brandon Pope, Board Advisor Dorothy Tucker and Vice President of Archives Aisha I. Jefferson excitedly shared the documentary’s trailer and a snippet from it, as well as the story and behind-the-scenes of creating it.
They emphasized the importance of preservation and valuable lessons learned while in the process of creating the documentary. While NABJ national created its own documentary for the 50th anniversary, new history was unearthed through archived material which called for the chapter to tell its personal and unique history.
Jefferson hoped in 50 years, future NABJCC members would look back on her and the current chapter’s contributions for guidance. “We thought not only of ourselves and those ancestors … but also of you [younger journalists],” said Jefferson. “If you ever have a question or get off track of the organization’s mission, you can at least go back and look at the documentary for reference.”
One of the larger components of this documentary is the story of Chicago Sun Times reporter Lacy Banks’ termination from the publication and how it sparked Black journalists to rally around him. Natasha Banks appears in the documentary with her father’s termination letter and explains the significance of the event.
One workshop called “Resumes, Reels and Review” was designed for student journalists and young professionals to improve their resume, reels and talk more in-depth about the application process. It allowed young journalists one-on-one review of their application materials as well as the perspectives of seasoned journalists and recruiters.
Michael Shearer, the Executive Editor of The Columbus Dispatch, gave advice to young journalists, “Try to cover as many stories as you can … Try to get experience in things you may not be as excited about personally. You have a campus wide system to cover a range of stories from sports to art to new to crime … you can get a lot of practical experience and you can’t do that in other fields.”
When it comes to the positives and negatives in young applicants, Shearer notices some are willing to make the most of their opportunities on campus while others are not. “… I’m looking for people who, if I’m hiring a reporter or photographer or a producer … I’m looking for people who have a drive and initiative to be successful.”
Another panel was hosted by Chelsea Fuller, the Senior Strategist and Managing Partner of Black Alder LLC, and “narrative scientist.” Fuller’s presentation put in perspective how a singular story could create, break or build narratives that impact people or entire communities.
“I think it is incredibly important, especially in this moment, for journalists to understand the way we frame stories and shape stories, because they do play into larger narratives, whether we intend them to or not.” said Fuller.
Fuller displayed narratives as a mosaic made up of glass shards which are stories and the setting being the framing. She also advised journalists prior to writing their articles to understand the central themes, characters, conflict and language of a story to better evaluate how they want to frame stories.
The night ended with a fireside chat with President Haines, NABJ past-president Tucker, ABC News Anchor and Chief Correspondent Byron Pitts, CABJ past-president Associate Professor of Race, Media and Communication Dr. Sherri Williams and NFL reporter Stephen Holder and a closing mixer.