NABJ Announces 2025 Convention Co-Chairs and Theme

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is headed to Cleveland this summer to host its annual Convention & Career Fair. Held Aug. 6-10, 2025, the theme, “Resilience, Advocacy, Excellence: Evolution of Our Voices,” will pay homage to NABJ’s 50th anniversary with special celebrations throughout the event.

Helping bring the convention theme to life are three convention co-chairs with deep connections to the Cleveland community:

Shana Black
A seasoned media professional with extensive experience in journalism, digital media, and diversity-focused initiatives, Black is the founder and CEO of Black Girl Media. She develops publications and podcasts that amplify Black and underserved voices, including The Clenagers (pronounced CLEE-nay-gers), a countywide high school media internship program, and Black Girl in the CLE, a digital platform showcasing Cleveland to Black audiences. She previously worked with The Associated Press as a program manager for Inclusive Journalism, as well as Ohio’s Misinformation Fellow in 2020. Her insights have appeared in outlets such as Nieman Reports, Editor & Publisher, and the BBC. She currently serves as a board member of the Local Media Foundation.

Wesley Lowery
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the nation’s leading reporters on issues of race and justice, Lowery led the team at The Washington Post that launched Fatal Force, a first-of-its-kind real-time database tracking fatal police shootings, as well as Murder with Impunity, an analysis of unsolved homicides in major U.S. cities. He was an executive producer for the Emmy-nominated documentary “In the Cold Dark Night” and host of “Unfinished: Ernie’s Secret,” an investigative podcast about Ernest Withers, the civil rights photographer who was also an FBI informant. Lowery has taught and worked with students at the University of California, Berkeley; Colorado College; Georgetown University; CUNY’s Newmark Graduate School of Journalism; and American University.

Russ Mitchell
Lead anchor and executive editor at WKYC Studios in Cleveland, Mitchell joined the NBC affiliate in January 2012. He can be seen Monday through Friday as anchor of “3 News at 6,” “3 News at 7,” and “What’s Next/3 News at 11.” Before joining WKYC Studios, he spent 20 years at CBS News, where he served as a national correspondent and anchor of several broadcasts, including “Up to the Minute,” “The Early Show,” “The Saturday Early Show,” and “The CBS Weekend News with Russ Mitchell.” He also served as a correspondent on “CBS News Sunday Morning” and “Eye to Eye with Connie Chung.” Mitchell is the recipient of 22 national and local Emmy awards and several NABJ, National Headliner, and Murrow awards.

NABJ welcomes back two program co-chairs who will help guide convention content:

Tia Mitchell
The Washington bureau chief for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mitchell covers national politics for a Georgia audience. She also shares her political expertise on CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, NewsNation, NPR, and many other national and international outlets. Mitchell is a co-host of the AJC’s “Politically Georgia” radio show and podcast and is active with NABJ, serving as program co-chair for the NABJ Convention since 2022. She is the immediate past chair of the NABJ Political Task Force and is also active in her local chapter, the Washington Association of Black Journalists. She serves as vice president of the Washington Press Club Foundation Board of Directors and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington’s oldest and most prestigious journalism organization.

Glenn E. Rice
Politics and investigations editor at The Kansas City Star, where he has worked since 1988, Rice is a past president of the Kansas City Association of Black Journalists. He has been deeply involved with NABJ for three decades. Since 2022, he has served as a program co-chair for the NABJ Convention. Previously, he chaired NABJ’s Elections Committee and Print Task Force and was a Finance Committee member. Additionally, Rice served as NABJ treasurer and, earlier in his career, as the director of the former NABJ Region 8.

Convention registration will open soon. Use the hashtag #NABJ25 to follow updates on social media.

2025 NABJ Convention & Career Fair (Plus Awards and Programs)