Black Press honors leaders at National Leadership Awards

(Black Press USA) – The Conrad Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., pulsed with history and urgency as the Black Press of America gathered for its annual National Leadership Awards and Reception. The evening honored House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke and Communications Workers of America President Claude Cummings Jr.

Cummings, the first African American to lead the CWA, also serves on the executive committee of the Democratic National Committee. During the reception, he put the night into sharp focus as he spoke on the red carpet to the Black Press’ Let It Be Known morning news show hosts.

“Democrats need to spend money now with the Black Press,” Cummings declared. “The Black Press has always been that vehicle in our community that we’ve all needed and that has always been the trusted voice. With what’s happening in Washington and what they are trying to do to our community and our history, everyone should be supporting the Black Press of America.”

The words carried the sting of truth. For decades, the Black Press has stood as the trusted voice for African Americans, telling stories ignored or distorted elsewhere. It carried the mutilated image of Emmett Till when mainstream newspapers looked away. It published Dr. Martin Luther King’s words when others labeled him a troublemaker. It guided families through Jim Crow’s terror and chronicled the triumphs and tragedies of migration, struggle and resilience.

Currently, two years before its 200th anniversary, the institution is fighting for its life.

When Attorney Ben Crump, known as “Black America’s Attorney General,” took the stage, he did not come to flatter. He came to help, and he came with fire.

“I will ask for personal privilege because I see my leaders in the room. The national president of the NAACP, Derrick Johnson, and chair of the board, Leon Russell,” Crump began. “The men who I stand with this evening, I want to come and demonstrate my appreciation to them and the Black Press. Right now in America we’re under attack like we’ve never been in our lifetime.”

The weight of his words fell heavily.

“So now more than ever, we have to make sure that we have institutions that are disseminating information to our people, being the clarion call for us to be able to be ready to stand up for our children and our communities, to be ready to speak up for our children and communities, and to be ready to fight for our children in the community,” he added. “And nobody carries the Black narrative and the Black information to Black communities more passionately than the Black Press.”

Crump then turned to those seated in the room.

“Y’all, right now, y’all know this attack on DEI and everything, they’re cutting funding to all our institutions. And it isn’t right, but part of me says that’s okay. We don’t need them to save us. We are going to save ourselves. We are all we need,” he said as he reminded the room of the lessons of struggle and obligation.

“Everybody got to give a little more when they can. If you’ve been blessed, you got to pass the blessing on. You just can’t keep it to yourself,” Crump told the packed ballroom. “Our fraternity teaches us we must lift as we climb. So tonight, I’m trying to lift as we climb to make this donation, and I pray that others will join us if you’re able to. If you’re able to.

“Because, like Dr. King said, ‘We all got a role to play.’ The Black lawyers got a role to play. The Black doctors got a role to play. The Black bankers got a role to play. The Black insurance agents, Black funeral homes. I understand everybody can’t be on the front line with the NAACP and Black Lives Matter and us, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a role to play when you get a seat at the table. When you are inside the room and you have got a voice, you got a role to play. And so, you can’t be afraid to speak truth to power.”

He paused, then drew from the words of his fraternity brother, Attorney Billy Murphy.

“He says, ‘Crump, in America today, we got enough African Americans who are educated. We got enough African Americans who are articulate. We got enough African Americans who are intelligent. What we seem to lack is enough African Americans who got courage to speak truth to power.’ And that’s what we got to have when we’re facing bullies. We got to speak truth to power,” Crump continued. “We can’t be scared. Just like they unapologetic in their white supremacist beliefs, we got to be unapologetic defenders of Black life, Black liberty and Black humanity. Now more than ever. And our actions got to match our words.”

Making his action match his words, Crump pledged $50,000 to the Black Press – structured at $10,000 a year for five years. The $50,000 was a seed planted in fertile ground in hopes that others would dare to water it.

“And so, I want to present this donation to the Black Press for $50,000,” Crump said. “Because right now we got to support our own.”

As the bicentennial of the Black Press approaches, the advocate called on supporters to help secure the future of the Black Press through sponsorships, advertising and partnerships.

While Crump was proud to offer his own contributions, he was not content to stop there – he also worked to pave the way for others. Now, as the “Trusted Voice of the Black Community” nears a historic milestone, community members are being urged to step forward to ensure its continued impact and presence for generations to come.

“That’s why I’m making this donation to the Black Press,” Crump declared, his words cutting with urgency. “Because right now the Black Press is needed more than ever before.”