Updated, Aug. 7
The National Association of Black Journalists gathering in Chicago made national news last week inviting former President Trump to a panel discussion where he falsely suggested that Kamala Harris had misled voters about her race and unleashed a torrent of criticism for comments seen as racist and divisive.
On the heels of what turned out to be a seismic event in national politics, particularly for Black voters, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in partnership with Report for America is hosting a panel discussion tonight at the Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs to address a growing racial voter gap and its implications for democracy.
Dorothy Tucker, one of the organizers of the NABJ event on the Island and an award winning, veteran investigative reporter for CBS News Chicago, said, “What we saw as a result of Trump’s conversation with Black journalists was that there are questions that mainstream media has ignored, or didn’t know to ask.”
Tucker, a summer visitor to the Island, added, “what this panel of journalists will bring is more analysis, insight and to provide more useful information that Americans can use when they cast their vote.”
In Chicago, Trump falsely claimed Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president, had in the past only promoted her Indian heritage.
“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while addressing the group’s annual convention.
Harris is the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as Vice President. She is the daughter of two immigrants, a Jamaican father and an Indian mother. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation’s most prominent historically Black colleges and universities. As a U.S. senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
At a rally in Texas last week, Harris shrugged off Trump’s false claims, dismissing the comments as “the same old show” of divisiveness and disrespect from Trump and she said that “America deserves better.”
The Wednesday panel at Union Chapel was set to feature speakers who will discuss the effects of recent legislative changes on voting rights and share solutions to ensure equal access to the polls. Participants will also inform the audience about actionable steps they can take to help strengthen voting laws in their communities. Community members are encouraged to attend and actively participate in this essential conversation about safeguarding democracy and empowering every voice at the ballot box.
Panelists include Paula Williams Madison, chairman & CEO of Madison Media Management LLC & principal owner of The Africa Channel; Errin Haines, founding mother and editor at large for The 19th & MSNBC contributor; Wesley Lowery, executive editor of the Investigative Reporting Workshop and journalist-in-residence at Newmark Graduate School of Journalism; Michele Norris, columnist for The Washington Post Opinion Section and author and host of “Your Mama’s Kitchen;” and Trymaine Lee, correspondent for MSNBC, host of “Into America” and Contributing Writer to the “1619 Project.”
The event comes in response to a recent report from the Brennan Center for Justice, which highlights a troubling decline in Black voter participation since the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision to weaken the Voting Rights Act. For decades, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 fostered progress toward voting equality, but recent changes have reversed these advancements, prompting urgent dialogue about the future of voting rights.
NABJ partnered on this event with Report for America, a Boston-based national service organization dedicated to supporting local journalism, and in association with the Union Chapel Education and Cultural Institute Charles Ogletree Forums. The Martha’s Vineyard Times served as a local sponsor.
Charles Sennott, the co-founder of Report for America and the publisher of the MVTimes said, “This is an important gathering for our Island, an incredible opportunity to bring together some of the country’s leading Black journalists to ponder the stakes of this election and to hear how Black voters are viewing one of the most extraordinary years in national politics in at least a generation.”
The event is 5:30 to 7 pm at the Union Chapel.
Thank you to everyone involved!
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