Future collaborations with NABJ remain uncertain as NAHJ plans solo 2025 conference in Chicago

Attendees walk through the halls on their way to sessions on the first day of the NABJ/NAHJ 2022 Convention and Job Fair in Las Vegas, Nev., on Wednesday, August 03, 2022.

For the third year in a row, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists will host its annual conference without partnering with another professional journalist association.

Instead, the organization will convene during a standalone conference next year in Chicago, said Yvette Cabrera, NAHJ president, during a Tuesday news conference.

Cabrera said the organization has left open the door to once again partner with the National Association of Black Journalists after backing out of a deal last year to co-host a convention this year in the Windy City. At the time, NAHJ officials said they wanted to host the 40th anniversary of NAHJ in California, where its first conference took place in 1982.

“We wanted a standalone conference,” Cabrera said. “But we said at the time that we hope [that] in the future, we can do future joint conferences with NABJ and other organizations, as well.”

Complicating a reunion next year are NABJ’s plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary. An NABJ spokesperson did not provide comment by the Latino Reporter’s deadline about the future of a partnership.

Cabrera said neither organization wanted to overshadow the milestones.

After changing plans, Cabrera said finances for this year’s conference were largely unaffected by the shift to hold the conference in Hollywood.

“We do standalone conferences about every other year. We’re accustomed to putting our own conference together, attracting sponsors,” the president said.

Despite the decision to host a standalone conference this year, NAHJ said they will support members who want to attend both conferences.

“We do have members that participate in both organizations and one of the things that we say is it doesn’t have to be one or the other,” Cabrera said. “There’s benefits to attending a conference that is maybe in the Midwest, if you’re located in the Midwest. The topics are different and the speakers are different.”

Cabrera said NAHJ has sought to make membership more affordable by alleviating the financial burden of the annual fee. These initiatives include partnerships with local Latino journalism organizations, which help reduce the membership costs.

NAHJ’s Executive Director, Yaneth Guillen-Diaz, said the organization is committed to creating opportunities for all Latinos, including its multi- and bi-racial membership. She emphasized that this effort includes engaging Afro-Latino journalists and members of both NAHJ and the NABJ.

“Afro-Latinos are a community that we want to work with,” she said. “We want to put a lot of resources into this particular group within our community.”

Andrés I. Jové Rodríguez is a recent graduate from the University of Puerto Rico in Arecibo (UPRA). He graduated with a B.A. in Tele-Radio Communications with emphasis on News, and Production and Direction. Jové Rodríguez covers politics, economics, and environment issues. He aspires to pursue a career as a multimedia journalist. Reach him at andres.jove [at] upr [dot] edu or on LinkedIn.

Shawntay Lewis is a senior at Wayne State University in Detroit for a B.A. in broadcast journalism and Spanish language. She is a Caregiving Reporting Intern for Urban Aging News, a nonprofit publication on all things aging in metro Detroit. Lewis covers healthcare, vulnerable communities, culture and entertainment. She aspires to pursue a career as a producer. Reach her at shawntaylewis93 [at] gmail [dot] com or on X at @Shawntay Lewis.

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