INDEX FEATURES 5 Nekesa Mumbi Moody AP’s music writer breaks down the secret of arts and entertainment writing by Ernie Suggs. 6 Thank You Miss Rosa Rosa Parks, the mother of the Civil Rights Movement, is remembered by Oralandar Brand-Williams, a reporter who covered her and knew her well. COVER STORY 8 Covering Katrina Black journalists report from the eye of one of the most devastating storms in American history. By Tammy Carter, Steven Gray, Cynthia Daniels and Errin Haines. 12 Opinion How race played a role in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by Lawrence Aaron. 16 Katrina and the students Black College Wire & The Black Collegian join forces to cover the disaster by Pearl Stewart. 28 An Appreciation John H. Johnson leaves a monumental legacy by Lynn Norment. DEPARTMENTS 17 On The Yard with Mashaun Simon 21 Tip Sheet: 3-D graphics made easy with Jerome Thompson 27 Comings & Goings GALLERIES 18 A look back at the 2005 Convention Dick Tripp of the Detroit 22 NABJ Awards Gala Free Press captures Rosa Parks at her Detroit home in 1964. Mrs. Parks relocated to the Cover Photo Motor City in 1958 with Willie J. Allen of the St. Petersburg Times. her husband, Raymond. The NABJ Journal (USPS number pending) is published four times a year by the National Association of Black Journalists, the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation. To discuss news items, photos and letters or advertising, call 301.445.7100 ext. 110 or fax to 301.445.7101; or e-mail [email protected]. For information about advertising, call Gerald Van Treeck at Achieve Communications at 847.562.8633; fax to 847.562.8634; or e-mail [email protected]. NABJ members receive one free copy; additional copies of this or back issues are available to members and non-members at $3.50 each; annual subscription is $14.00. Reprints not permitted without written approval from NABJ. Postmaster: Send address changes to NABJ, 8701-A Adelphi Road, Adelphi, MD 20783-1716. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK JOURNALISTS • WWW.NABJ.ORG 3 from the NABJ president BRYAN MONROE Winter 2005 • Vol. 22, No. 3 Telling the stories of the storytellers Official Publication of the Early on the morning of August 29, 2005, National Association of Black while What we saw yesterday was horrific, much Journalists the last of thousands of Gulf Coast residents were worse than when I covered Hurricane Hugo in fleeing a storm called Katrina, I and a handful of Myrtle Beach more than a decade ago. Because NABJ Board of Directors journalists headed south down Interstate 65 – Katrina was so huge, it will likely dwarf the directly into the mouth of the killer storm. damage from even Hurricane Andrew that hit Looking back, months later, I had to ask, “What Miami. This is bad, real bad. PRESIDENT were we thinking?” Bryan Monroe The devastation WAS overwhelming. Speeding past Mobile and merging onto I-10, it Knight Ridder Everywhere one looked, there were mounds of started to become real. Too real. Around us, trees twisted lumber just yards away from where homes were snapped like dry spaghetti. In Ocean Springs, VICE PRESIDENT/BROADCAST once stood. And each one of those broken houses east of Biloxi, we pulled up to the bridge that Barbara Ciara – now represented by a vacant foundation and a linked the two cities, hoping to cross. We couldn’t. WTKR-TV (Norfolk) pile of debris– symbolized a life, a child, a family It was gone. who had evacuated, was now homeless or in a As we made our way into Gulfport – the two VICE PRESIDENT/PRINT shelter or, worse yet, dead. earlier exits into Biloxi were also washed away – Ernie Suggs Their stories needed to be told. That was the job we dodged downed oak trees straddling the main The Atlanta Journal-Constitution of the hundreds of television, newspaper, online road. When we finally made it to the Sun Herald’s and radio journalists who went into harms way plant on DeBuys Road, barely a block from the SECRETARY those last days of August. beach but protected by the railroad tracks, we were Sarah J. Glover stunned to find the building relatively intact. The Philadelphia Inquirer As you read this edition of the NABJ Journal – The next 72 hours telling the stories of were pretty much a blur. TREASURER the storytellers – We worked 12-18 hours John Yearwood remember the sacri- each day, slept on the The Miami Herald fices your colleagues floor of the newsroom, made to bring the ate peanut butter and PARLIAMENTARIAN nation and the world jelly sandwiches for din- Melanie Burney the words and images ner (and lunch and The Philadelphia Inquirer of Katrina. Remember, breakfast) and, well, too, the pain of those don’t ask about the bath- REGION I DIRECTOR journalists, students room situation. Errol Cockfield and NABJ members We were there to help Newsday who lived and worked the our colleagues cover in the region – many the tragedy and publish REGION II DIRECTOR of whom are now dis- the paper — we never J. Elliott Lewis placed, homeless, missed a day in print — Freelance without a job or a pay- but we ended up eyewit- check. (We have ness to the most devas- Bryan Monroe/Knight Ridder REGION III DIRECTOR already begun sending tating natural disaster in Audra Burch of The Miami Herald interviews a Tammy Carter out the first wave of our nation’s history. woman in front of the Main Street Missionary The Orlando Sentinel relief checks from the Black journalists were Baptist Church in Biloxi, two days after the NABJ Katrina Fund.You among those first respon- hurricane swept through the region. REGION IV DIRECTOR can still donate at ders. In addition to the Leisa Richardson www.nabj.org) extraordinary team there The Indianapolis Star And there are still with me in Biloxi that first week – Mike McQueen more stories to tell. NABJ members will be going of the Macon Telegraph, Mizell Stewart, formerly REGION V DIRECTOR back down to the gulf region soon – through of the Tallahassee Democrat, Cathy Straight of the Russell LaCour grants from the NABJ Media Institute Gulf Coast St. Paul Pioneer Press, Cynthia Daniels of The Tulsa World Fellowships – to continue telling the stories of Newsday, Audra Burch of the Miami Herald – those who lives are now forever altered by the there were scores of others spread out from New REGION VI DIRECTOR storm of all storms, Hurricane Katrina. Orleans to Houston, Gulfport to Galveston, Baton V.W. Vaughan Let me send special thanks to NABJ vice presi- Rouge to Pascagoula. The Arizona Daily Star dent/print Ernie Suggs and marketing and publi- That next day, I was able to shoot out a short cations manager Maria Newman for all their hard email update note to members at 6:06 a.m. ASSOCIATE REPRESENTATIVE work and sacrifice in making this journal happen Tuesday morning, Aug. 29: Angela McClendon Johnson so quickly. And let’s not forget NABJ secretary San Antonio Convention & Visitors While New Orleans has been getting most of Sarah Glover for compiling all the great photos, Bureau the early attention, let me tell you that the real Copy Editing Task Force chair Diane Hawkins for story is here in South Mississippi, which the diligent editing of the magazine, and all those STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE absorbed the full force of Katrina on as it who contributed to making this edition happen. Mashaun D. Simon veered east of New Orleans. The devastation is Finally, let me thank all the brave reporters, edi- Georgia Perimeter College overwhelming. Homes are gone, roads tors, photographers, correspondents, technicians destroyed, infrastructure in shambles. At least and engineers who went into harms way to tell the three staff members from the paper here have stories. lost their homes… Your journalism matters. 4 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK JOURNALISTS • WWW.NABJ.ORG from the executive director TANGIE NEWBORN 8701 Adelphi Road Creating our future, one member at a time Adelphi, MD 20783 Telephone: 301.445.7100 Happy 2006! accountable. The weathercaster was later fired. Facsimile: 301.445.7101 NABJ has reached an important milestone www.nabj.org as we culminate our 30th Anniversary. Our The bottom line is that we will continue members understand that it is because of to be the watchdog of the media. We will NABJ, our founders, and our mission that praise when necessary. We will challenge NABJ Staff many black journalists have the opportunity media policies that hurt job prospects of black to serve as anchors, writers, editors, and pro- journalists and bigoted reporting that unfairly EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR fessionals in the media. portrays our communities. Tangie Newborn In a recent conversation with a member, I As we enter into a new year, our goal is to was asked to what I attribute members joining become 5,000 strong by September 2006. But MEMBERSHIP & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR NABJ. Could it be convention related? Perhaps we can’t do it without our members. We need Germaine Ashton that is one factor. Could it be the opportunities you. We need you to continue to be our eyes to network with other black journalists? and ears, and we also need you to encourage MEMBERSHIP MANAGER Conceivably that could be a factor as well. But others to take this NABJ journey with us. Veronique Dodson I am convinced that it is because of the hard On February 1, we will launch a new mem- work of NABJ’s most-valued members whose ber-get-a-member campaign: “Creating Our COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER infectious excitement about NABJ has caused Future…One Member at a Time.” We need Lisa Goodnight others to join this powerful organization.