National Association of Black Journalists

This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: "National Association of Black Journalists" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

National Association of Black Journalists

Abbreviation	NABJ
Founded	1975
Founded at	Washington, D.C.
Type	Nonprofit organization
Purpose	Professional association
Headquarters	College Park, Maryland
Membership	4,000
President	Ken Lemon
Executive Director	Drew Berry
Website	nabjonline.org

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and professional organization of African-American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 1975 in Washington, D.C., by 44 journalists, the NABJ's stated purpose is to provide quality programs and services to and advocate on behalf of black journalists.^[1] The organization has worked for diversity and to increase the number of minorities in newsrooms across the country.^[2]

The association's national office is on the main campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. The current president is Ken Lemon, a reporter for WSOC in Charlotte, North Carolina,^[3] and the executive director is Drew Berry. The NABJ states that it has a membership of 4,100 and is the largest organization of journalists of color in the United States.^[1] The organization was one of the four minority journalist member associations in the UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. until they seceded from the organization in Spring 2011.

The organization's annual Salute to Excellence Awards honors coverage of African-American people and subjects. Awards given include Journalist of the Year, Emerging Journalist and Lifetime Achievement; past honorees have included Lester Holt, Ed Bradley, Carole Simpson, Byron Pitts, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Bernard Shaw, Gwen Ifill, and Michele Norris. NABJ also maintains the NABJ Hall of Fame, which is designed to honor black journalists.