 A group of NNPA publishers met with Mayor Hales, Friday, during their site visit to Portland:(from left) Karen Carter, publisher of the Houston Forward Times; Terry Jones, publisher of the New Orleans Data Weekly; Portland Mayor Charlie Hales; Bernie Foster, publisher of The Skanner News; Lenore Alexander, publisher of the Denver Weekly News; Jackie Willis, event manager for the NNPA; Baruti Artharee, policy advisor to the mayor. |
 Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith met with NNPA President Cloves Campbell on her recent visit to Washington DC. |
Next June around 500 Black Publishers will arrive in Portland for the biggest event on their annual calendars: the 2014 NNPA National Convention. It will be the first time that the convention has come to Portland.
The National Newspaper Publishers Association represents more than 200 African American newspapers and websites across the United States. Hailing from cities as different as Houston and St. Louis, Los Angeles and New York, the publishers come together to discuss new developments in media, hear from industry leaders and celebrate the best work of the year at the NNPA Awards ceremony.
Bernie Foster, publisher of The Skanner News, said Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith, Mayor Charlie Hales and Commissioner Nick Fish had all had a hand in bringing the convention to Portland.
A group of publishers made a site visit to Portland this week, to prepare for the convention. They looked at two hotels, the Marriott and The Nines, as well as meeting with Commissioner Fish and Mayor Hales. They also visited Self Enhancement Inc. to hear about the nonprofit's efforts to improve educational opportunities for youth.
Smith was in Washington D.C. last week during the Congressional Black Caucus' 43rd Annual Legislative Conference, an event that also draws many Black publishers to the capital.
"I'm very pleased to be a part of bringing business to our city," Smith said.
