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By Natalie Venegas
Weekend Reporter
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The co-chair of this year's National Association of Black Journalists convention, Karen Attiah, has resigned ahead of former President Donald Trump's Q&A at the convention on Wednesday in Chicago.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Attiah announced she was stepping down, adding that she wished the "best of luck" to the journalists interviewing Trump. While a "variety" of factors influenced her decision, Attiah said she wasn't consulted about giving Trump a "platform" at the convention.
"To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck. For everyone else, I'm looking forward to meeting and reconnecting with all of you in the Windy City," Attiah wrote on X.
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Context
Amid the 2024 elections, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is set to hold its annual multi-day convention in Chicago July 31 to August 4.
On Monday, the NABJ announced that Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, will participate in a Q&A session at the convention on Wednesday.
According to the NABJ's website, the convention known for journalism education, career development, networking, and innovation has previously had special guests and speakers including then-Senator and President Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, Former Vice President and now President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and many others.
What We Know
In a statement published Monday, the NABJ said Trump's Q&A session will "concentrate on the most pressing issues facing the Black community" and will be moderated by ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott, Fox News host Harris Faulkner, and Semafor reporter Kadia Goba.
However, the announcement of Trump's appearance has been met with mixed reviews from Black journalists, including Attiah.
Addressing the concerns, Ken Lemon, NABJ's president, said in a video posted to X that the organization invited both presidential candidates, including Vice President Kamala Harris who recently began her Presidential bid after President Joe Biden stepped down.
Lemon said the organization understands "the serious work of our members," adding that it will be "the opportunity for them to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know."
He added: "I understand some people have a feeling about this. I understand people are disappointed. I understand people are upset, it is our job also to offer that opportunity for those candidates to be here and not doing that would not be the right thing."
Newsweek has reached out to NABJ via email for comment.
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Views
Trump, who is hoping to win over Black voters amid the election, has previously made efforts to reach the Black community including several campaign stops in predominantly Black communities including calling into the Black American Business Leader Barbershop Roundtable at a barbershop in Atlanta.
According to a press release announcing the Q & A session, Trump's campaign said the former President has "accomplished more for Black Americans than any other president in recent history by implementing America First policies on the economy, immigration, energy, law and order, and foreign policy."
Newsweek has reached out to Trump and Harris' campaign via email for comment.
However, others have expressed concern over Trump's rhetoric of the Black community.
Arionne Nettles, author of We Are the Culture: Black Chicago's Influence on Everything, took to X to state that not a single Black media organization is represented in the panel of moderators for the event.
"Not even any Black orgs? On top of everything. So please don't claim to give 'opportunities' to anyone but those who would already have them," Nettles said.
Meanwhile, April Ryan, NABJ's 2017 Journalist of the Year, also took to X to criticize the organization's decision, as pointed towards the treatment she received from Trump during his time in the White House.
"The reports of attacks on Black women White House correspondents by the then president of the United States are not myth or conjecture, but fact," said Ryan, White House correspondent for theGrio.
She added: "To have a presumed orchestrated session with the former president is an affront to what this organization stands for and a slap in the face to the Black women journalists (NABJ journalists of the year) who had to protect themselves from the wrath of this Republican presidential nominee who is promoting an authoritarian agenda that plans to destroy this nation and her democracy with his Project 2025. I object to this NABJ session with Donald Trump in Chicago."
Additionally, according to The Tribe, a digital media platform that describes itself as "reshaping the narrative of Black Chicago" reported in a post on X that a group of Chicago organizers announced a protest against Trump coming to the city for the convention.
What's Next?
While Harris was also invited to speak at the convention, her response remains pending, according to NABJ.
Update 7/30/24, 3:00 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with background information.
Update 7/30/24, 3:30 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with background information.
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