President Biden, Chaka Khan and Others Celebrate Black Press at NNPA Convention
The President extolled the virtues of Black-owned newspapers and media companies
The President extolled the virtues of Black-owned newspapers and media companies
General Motors officials said it would be more productive to host a series of meetings involving a more extensive mix of Black-owned media publishers and executives. “To ensure that our conversations are both substantive and constructive, we are going to postpone and reschedule it into a series of smaller conversations that take place over the next few weeks,” GM global Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Wahl told the executives.
With the theme, “Black Business Challenges Responsibilities and Opportunities Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic,” Black Press publishers, readers, viewers, sponsors, partners, and anyone else tuning in were enlightened about overcoming adversities on many levels. “We will have informative workshops,” promised Pluria Marshall Jr., the NNPAF Chair and CEO of Marshall Broadcasting Group. Marshall and his colleagues delivered.
“This is a moment in time for Americans to move past our divisions to come together and reach our full potential as a nation,” Ken Frazier, the chairman and CEO of Merck and a OneTen founder stated. “Our country’s workforce of the future will be an increasingly diverse one,” Frazier proclaimed.
In partnership with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), Matthews-Alexander and Chevrolet have invested heavily in the future of Black journalism while simultaneously supporting students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. On Thursday, September 17, 2020, Matthews-Alexander will receive the NNPA 2020 National Leadership Award.
The successful event’s website, vitualnnpa2020.com, generated more than 55,000 pageviews to conference attendees in only two days.
Comfort is key to enjoying a luxury vehicle, but it’s not the only aspect that concerns Crystal Windham. As director of Design, Cadillac Interiors, she incorporates every creative element possible to give customers an innovative and unforgettable experience.
“I had many engineering assignments as an intern including Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics in my last rotation and lo and behold, I got a full time offer as an aerodynamicist. As an Aerospace Engineering graduate, you typically end up in the aerospace industry like Lockheed Martin or Boeing, but I was able to land a dream job in both of my passions at General Motors starting out as the lead aerodynamicist for crossovers.”
“Our Annual Legislative Conference is a gathering to develop solutions to the challenges facing black communities around the world through issues forums, brain trusts, a town hall meeting, networking sessions, and more,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-Calif.).
The 2019 honorees are the Honorable Karen Bass, U.S. Representative (D-CA); the Honorable Elijah E. Cummings, U.S. Representative (D-MD); the Honorable Bobby Scott, U.S. Representative (D-VA); the Honorable Bennie Thompson, U.S. Representative (D-MS); Ray Curry, Secretary-Treasurer of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agriculture (UAW); Shani W. Hosten, Vice President Multicultural Leadership, AARP; Dr. Kim Smith-Whitley, Clinical Director of Hematology and Director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP); and Crystal Windham, Director, Cadillac Interior Design, General Motors.
“I can remember at a NAMAD banquet there were two tables, maybe three at a conference of minority dealers,” he said. “But I watched it grow to the level that it is today with many and, to be in a position within General Motors and to assist the industry and see it grow, has been gratifying,” he said.
Whether it’s taking a stand for the Double V campaign during World War II; marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement; or fighting to have a voice in the White House in more recent times, NNPA’s board chairpersons’ responsibilities have historically gone far beyond any standard business definitions.
At the turn of the 20th century, the automobile entered the American scene. During that period there was a proliferation of car manufacturers. In 1903 alone, 57 companies came into existence and 27 went bankrupt. Over the years, numerous models were introduced that are now a distant memory. Studebaker and Hudson come to mind. But the Cadillac, introduced in 1903 is still going strong. However, at one point it was also on the chopping block, but was saved at the last moment.
Parham, who turned 101 in February, spent more than three decades as publisher of the Cincinnati Herald, which was established in 1955 and counts as the longest running African American newspaper in the city
“There are so many great men and women that are being developed and minds that are being cared for, cultivated inside of the schools and they don’t necessarily have the recruitment bandwidth and their career centers don’t have the relationships established to actually open up access to larger Fortune 500 companies,” Lester Booker, Jr., the project manager for communications operations at General Motors.