The 26th Annual NABJ Convention and Career Fair will feature a combo opening ceremony and NABJ Awards Program on Aug. 22 for the 2,200 black journalists who are expected to attend.

The convention will take place Aug. 22-26 at Disney World Dolphin Hotel in Orlando, Fla. Many KCABJ members are planning to attend, including Yvette Walker, Benita Williams, Steve Penn, Glenn Rice, Lewis Diuguid, Malecia El-Amin and Angela Curry. Angela will receive an award on Wednesday night for her community service in Kansas City.

NABJ President Will Sutton writes on NABJ's Web site that Thursday, Aug. 23 will be NABJ Disney-MGM night when the entire Disney World Park will be ''NABJers wall to wall from 7 to 11 p.m.'' Sutton says it will not cost extra money to attend the Disney-MGM night. It is included in the registration fee for anyone of any age. NABJ members are welcome to bring their families who can register for the convention. Sutton also says ''NABJ members who are registered for the convention can opt to pick up a four-park pass at a separate desk at the Dolphin hotel. The nine-day pass is not available for members who are not registered for the convention.'' Disney officials will have a pre-registration list from the national NABJ office. Anyone on that list can choose to pick up a pass starting on Aug. 18 through the last day of the convention.

But beyond the Disney attractions, people at the convention will be treated to the fellowship, career advancement workshops and panels and the NABJ Career Fair. Convention Chairwoman Condace Pressley writes that some of the highlights of the conference will be a Unity Town Hall night meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 22. An ''NABJams'' party follows at 11 p.m. Wednesday.

Thursday, Aug. 23 opens with a hot Plenary session: ``You've Been Downsized. Now What?'' Twenty-four professional development workshops also will take place during the convention. Friday, Aug. 24 will include the business meeting of NABJ during which several hot topics will be discussed including member services and NABJ's financial situation. A plenary session on Africa will take place Friday, Aug. 24 as well as the W.E.B. DuBois lecture by entertainer Harry Belafonte, whose topic is expected to be on reparations. The Newsmaker Banquet on Friday night will feature a speech on the state of the industry from former San Jose Mercury News Publisher Jay Harris.

The NABJ Career Fair will end Saturday, Aug. 25. A basketball tournament will take place Saturday as well as a sports plenary session on the influence of highly paid athletes. An NABJ film festival will take place at the same time people will get a chance to enjoy Disney World again. A gospel brunch is on Sunday, Aug. 26.

Numerous entries have been received for the 10th Annual KCABJ Media Awards. They have been sent in by KCABJ members, as well as daily and weekly newspapers, television stations, radio stations and by a company in the area of advertising/marketing.

KCABJ Media Awards Committee Co-Chair Lewis Diuguid will head the judging of the broadcast entries. KCABJ Secretary Joi Preciphs will lead the judges reviewing print entries. The awards are annually given for exemplary and accurate coverage of African-Americans and other people of color. The program serves as a fund-raiser for KCABJ and helps push the media in the Greater Kansas City area to do more stories about African-Americans and other people of color.

KCABJ members who attended the July meeting learned that there also are nearly a half-dozen entries for the KCABJ Thumbs Down Award. That number is significant especially because no Thumbs Down Award was given last year. The infamous designation is given to the media or persons in the media that have done the most to further stereotypes and set back the image of people of color. The awards program will take place during the banquet on Nov. 17 celebrating KCABJ's 20th anniversary. Gerald Jordan, a founding member and journalism professor at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, will be the keynote speaker. The event will be at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, 3700 Blue Parkway. Tickets will go on sale soon.

By Natalie Moultrie

Natalie Moultrie

I'm not sure who learned more in this summer's KCABJ broadcast workshop -- me or the students.

The week was packed with lessons, guests, discussions and work. The students were able to put together group packages. At first I was concerned that cramming so much information in wouldn't adequately prepare them to do a package. The concern wasn't necessary. The hands-on experience in setting up interviews, going into the field to conduct interviews and helping photojournalists edit the tape brought all the lessons together and made sense: The students got it!

Many of them experienced the same daily difficulties that reporters face -- not being able to set up stories in a timely manner, having stories fall through and running out of time when working on deadline. One group even experienced the horror of losing a story when a computer crashed. Yet, despite the difficulties the students persevered, and the four groups turned in well-planned, and well-written, informative packages.

During the workshop the students heard both the good and the bad of the broadast business, but I hope we inspired some to pursue this as a career. I know many were sad to see the two weeks end. They worked hard and enjoyed it. How about that!

The students learned what it takes to be a broadcast reporter. I learned teen-agers have a voice that needs to be heard. They are talented people who deserve our time and effort to help prepare them to take our place one day.

The most insightful experience for me was taking some students to my radio show on 1510 AM during our job shadow day. The students came on the show and eloquently expressed views, opinions and insights on teen and adult issues. Their voices inspired other young people to call into the show. I realized we tapped an audience that wants to be heard. My husband and I will continue to have the students on the show. They deserve it.

Another interesting tidbit from the workshop: I gained a nickname, Mama Moultrie! OK, it makes me feel a little old, but if that means the students and I connected and learned from each other then that's all that really matters.

By the way, KCABJ workshop student Jonathan Amerison was responsible for giving Natalie the nickname. Jonathan, a Center High School graduate who starts his freshman year in the fall at Lincoln University, also had the most unusual experience during the print week of the workshop. Jonathan works at a McDonald's Restaurant at the drive-through window. He was at work when he telephoned retired history professor Ed Beasley to interview him for a workshop story. Suddenly, though, Jonathan had to take a customer's order. Beasley had to have heard: ''Hi, welcome to McDonald's... would you like fries with that? Can I supersize that order for you?''

KCABJ President Benita Y. Williams noted at the July membership meeting that KCABJ member Glenn E. Rice deserves a lot of praise for filling the void when KCABJ Vice President/Print Erica Wood, who was the workshop coordinator with Natalie, suddenly resigned for personal reasons. Glenn, who's also treasurer of NABJ, said, ''I'm very pleased with the level of enthusiasm and commitment they had.''

Natalie, KCABJ Vice President/Broadcast, told the membership that she would like to make the workshop a year-round program enabling students to run their own newspaper and broadcast stories that matter to them. Natalie also told the membership that she was exploring the possibility of having Keith Woods with the Poynter Institute in to Kansas City in 2002 to lecture on ''Reporting on Race.'' That would require sponsors to cover the costs. Stay tuned.

From NABJ's Web site: Gerald Boyd, a St. Louis native, has been promoted to managing editor of The New York Times. He is the first African-American to hold that job.

Pamela Thomas-Graham, who's also black, has been named chief executive officer of CNBC.

Phillip Dixon, an African-American is the new managing editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Mireille Grangenois, who's also black, has been named vide president of SunSpot, the online arm of The Baltimore Sun.

Lawrence Young, an African-American, has been named managing editor of The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif.

The Knight Center for Specialized Journalism is offering fellowships for journalists. They are ''The New Workplace: The Death of Loyalty and Other Issues.'' It will run Sept. 9-14. ''Electricity: Deconstructing Deregulation: Business Basics, Consumers' Costs.'' It will take place Oct. 21-24. The last is an Editorial Writers Seminar on Dec. 5-7. The fellowships cover instruction, lodging, meals and reading materials. For more information call (301) 985-7279.