Greetings NNPA Members, Friends and Guests

Greetings NNPA Members, Friends and Guests

By Bobby R. Henry, Sr. Publisher, Westside Gazette

We are excited to share with you a few conference highlights of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA the Black Press of America) Mid-Winter Conference beginning Wednesday, Jan. 23-26, 2013. The conference is scheduled to take place here in sunny Fort Lauderdale next at the GalleryOne Fort Lauderdale-A DoubleTree Suites Hotel by Hilton, 2670 East Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Come hear how the Black Press changed history with the recent Wilmington 10 pardons and see a sneak peak of a trailer for the upcoming documentary – Pardons of Innocence: The Wilmington 10.

Panelists include Cash Michaels, staff writer for the Wilmington Journal and coordinator of the Wilmington 10 Pardons of Innocence project; Irving Joyner, professor at the North Carolina Central School of Law and co-chair of the project, James Ferguson, partner at Ferguson Stein Chambers in Charlotte, who, 40 years ago, was the lead defense attorney for the Wilmington 10, and Dr. Ben Chavis, Jr.

On Thursday, Jan. 24 from 12:30-1:45 p.m. luncheon: HIV/AIDS Advocacy, Guest Speaker, Jasmin D. Shirley, MSPH, VP, Community Health Services, Broward Health and the Rev. Dr. Rosalind Osgood, newly elected Broward County School Board Member for District 5 will be doing the prayer.

Friday morning, Jan. 25, 8-9:45 a.m., Prayer Breakfast – Guest Speaker: Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) and the Rev. Kito March of Mt. Nebo Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale will be offering the prayer.

Then on Friday evening beginning at 6 p.m., there will be a reception and dinner to follow at 7 p.m. with a Community Recognition Awards Dinner honoring Levi Henry, Jr. and local community servants: Arthur “Art” Kennedy (Congressman Alcee Hastings’ office), Gwendolyn Shaw (Red School), Florida State Senator Christopher Smith, James C. Boyd Funeral Home and City of Fort  Lauderdale Commissioner Bobby Dubose.

    For more information please contact Jackie Willis or Onitia Frazier at the NNPA national office (202) 588-7348.