NABJ returns to Texas Southern University to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its collaboration with the SOC

Texas Southern University (TSU) School of Communication (SOC) and the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) will host an event honoring their historic collaboration, which helped propel NABJ into becoming one of the nation’s preeminent journalism organizations and a driving force that shaped the journalism profession by opening doors for African American journalists and telling fuller stories in the Black community.

The gathering, to be held at the University Museum on Friday, Oct. 2, from noon to 2 p.m., marks a 50-year milestone.

On October 2, 1976, a newly founded NABJ held its first-ever convention on TSU’s campus.  Now, five decades later, NABJ is returning to campus to honor the university’s foundational role in its trajectory.

The afternoon will feature a roundtable discussion between SOC faculty and NABJ members about the challenges Black journalists and journalism educators face in the 21st-century media ecosystem.  Award-winning journalist, commentator, and digital media founder Roland Martin will be moderator.  TSU’s SOC Assistant Dean and award-winning journalist Serbino Sandifer-Walker will serve as the M.C.

TSU panelists include Dr. Vera Walker-Hawkins, Department of Journalism chair; Nakia Cooper, Houston Association of Black Journalists President and TSU adjunct professor; and Kennedy Bonds, KTSU2 student multimedia co-director.

The NABJ panelists include Errin Haines, NABJ President; Lisa Armstrong, NABJ academic representative;  and A’Lauren Gilchrist, student representative.

The conversation will examine how journalism educators and journalists can work together to prepare the next generation of storytellers who will report across media platforms, embrace emerging technology ethically, think critically, uphold rigorous standards of accuracy and ethics, and remain committed to journalism’s fundamental responsibility to inform the public and hold those in power accountable.

Texas Southern University’s School of Communication was the first school of its kind in Houston, opening its doors on August 25, 1975.

NABJ was founded on December 12, 1975, by 44 men and women representing multimedia platforms in Washington, D.C.

Event Details:

• What: NABJ and TSU SOC 50th Anniversary Dialogue
• When: Friday, October 2, 2026 | noon to 2:00 p.m.
• Where: The University Museum at TSU, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX 77004
• Admission: Free
• Parking:  West Parking Garage, 3001 Blodgett Street, Houston, Texas 77004, $10, must use credit or debit card
• Campus map: https://www.tsu.edu/safety-and-wellness/image/tsu-campus-map.png