Kristen Bannerman
CLEVELAND—The National Association of Black Journalists is commemorating its 50th anniversary with “Beyond the Headlines: The NABJ Story,” a 43-minute documentary that chronicles the organization’s past and sheds light on the present.
With decades of history to unfold, NABJ founders, former presidents and media professionals share how they have been impacted by or contributed to the organization’s resilience, advocacy and excellence.
On Thursday, attendees at the NABJ Convention participated in an exclusive screening of the documentary followed by a panel discussion with founders Joe Davidson, Allison Davis, Sam Ford, Joel Dreyfuss and DeWayne Wickham.
“The film was unbelievable. It was very well done and it gave me that little extra perspective that I need,” said Donna Steward who gave an emotional thank you to the founders for laying the foundation for what NABJ is today.
Those who did not catch the initial screening will have the opportunity to view the documentary at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Huntington Convention Center in the Atrium Ballroom.
“Beyond the Headlines” highlights some of the most pivotal moments of NABJ. This begins with the 1975 meeting in Washington, D.C., where 44 founders signed the document to create what the organization has become today. It showcases NABJ’s political influence, which has attracted newsmakers from President Jimmy Carter to former Vice President Kamala Harris and President Donald Trump, particularly during his controversial visit to the 2024 NABJ convention in Chicago.
The documentary also spotlights the creation of the Student Multimedia Project, which has launched the careers of many young Black journalists and media professionals, as well as the resilience of the organization as it navigated through the Great Recession of 2008 and COVID-19.
This project began with a conversation between founders and veteran members who recognized a need for NABJ’s history to be shared in a documentary.
“It was something that we all knew we needed to do, and that we wanted to do,” said Dorothy Tucker, executive producer of the film and former NABJ president. “Finally, when I became president, I started taking steps to make the documentary a reality because I looked around and said, ‘Okay, we — collective we — have been talking about this for a long time.'”
Through website ads, NABJ solicited producers for the film through a request for proposals and received responses from 10 companies. Tucker, Allison Davis and a team of others selected NABJ member James F. Blue III.
“He had that energy, he had the passion, he had the foresight, and we were like, ‘Yeah, done. You’re the one,'” Tucker said.
Callie Crossley, former national board member and local chapter president of NABJ said, “The film is excellent. It was well-crafted, well-researched and well-produced as I would expect nothing less from James Blue, who is an excellent craftsman and journalist.”
For Blue, this documentary honors NABJ’s legacy and serves as a reference for how it can be continued.
“It was a labor of love, and the ability to really help tell the story that hadn’t been told—that’s what was so exciting for me,” he said. “I hope the film gives us some sense of the journey that we’ve been on, the foundation that’s been laid and what we as the new generation in the organization can do to take it further.”
As “Beyond the Headlines: The NABJ Story” makes its way to screens, those behind the documentary hope it will leave viewers more educated about the 4,000-plus member organization.
“I want the world to know about the National Association of Black Journalists,” Tucker said. “I hope this documentary will educate the average person, those who don’t know anything about NABJ and people of all races to know the contributions that Black journalists have made to this industry.”
The documentary has already begun to make its impact as it has entered into multiple film festivals across the nation spanning from Oakland, California, to Detroit. It has already won “Best Documentary” at the Virginia Black Film Festival during the Juneteenth weekend. “Beyond the Headlines” has also made an international appearance at the Roxbury International Film Festival in New England winning the “Henry Hampton Award” for Best Documentary.
Founder Wickham says he’s happy to see the exposure.
“We should know our story,” he said, “but then I hope we can help to share it beyond the ranks of NABJ. This is what we should be taking back to our sororities and fraternities. We should take it to our book clubs. People will enjoy it.”
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