NABJ President Visits Colombia to Meet with Afro-Colombian Journalists
Credit: NABJ
By Kanya Stewart
National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) President Sarah Glover is traveling throughout Colombia this week for a special trip to exchange ideas with and offer support to Afro-Colombian journalists. President Glover has expanded NABJ’s international footprint, and this trip marks a first for an NABJ president to South America.
During NABJ’s 2016 joint convention with NAHJ in Washington, D.C., eight Afro-Colombian journalists met with President Glover and NABJ Board members to seek insight about NABJ’s mission and how it could impact their work and career development, as well as help promote inclusion for journalists of color in Colombia.
“I was deeply moved that a group of Afro-Colombian journalists would travel on their own to meet me in 2016. Now it’s time for me to return the gesture. I’m appreciative that I’m able to take some time off and still bring my passion for NABJ’s mission and goodwill to the people of Colombia,” said President Glover.
During her time in Colombia, President Glover will visit Bogotá, Cali and Medellin to learn more about Afro-Colombian culture and the issues facing black journalists in the country. While in Cali and Medellin this Saturday, she will participate in two special programs as a part of NABJ’s Black Male Media Project, held on June 1 worldwide, to promote better representation of black men and boys in the media and elevate the issues they unjustly face.
Glover’s trip comes at a special time in Colombia. This month marks the 168th anniversary of the Colombian Abolition of Slavery. May is also celebrated as Afro-Colombian Heritage Month, similar to Black History Month in the U.S. Also, there is an ongoing observance of the International Decade of People of African Descent as declared by the UN in 2014. The theme for the observance is “Recognition - Justice and Development.”