by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
For the first time in its 154-year history, the National Newspaper Publishers Association will hold its annual convention in Jacksonville June 12-15 at the Omni.
Although the decision to bring 200-plus representatives from African-American owned newspapers all over the country was made a year ago at the convention in Atlanta, lobbying has been going on since 1998.
The chief lobbyist has been Isiah Williams, publisher of The Jacksonville Advocate and The Northeast Florida Advocate. A long-time member of the NNPA, Williams has been trying for years to convince the organization to bring its semi-annual meeting to Jacksonville. Williams says the members must have simply grown weary of his incessant, well-intentioned pestering.
“I raised hell, literally,” said Williams, who has published his two papers for 25 years. “I have been after them for four years and I think they just got tired of hearing me.”
According to Williams, not only is Jacksonville significant because it marks a first for the organization, it’s also the first time the NNPA — which was formed in 1848 in New York — has ever held two conventions in the same state in one year. In January, the association met in Ft. Lauderdale, a departure from its usual first meeting venue, which Williams said is almost always somewhere in the Caribbean.
In addition to the 200 NNPA members that Williams expects, many will bring family members and spend lots of money while they are here. Before anyone gets to town, though, Williams is actively seeking financial support for the convention. Although there are several private sponsors, and everyone will pay their own travel expenses, securing local venues for hundreds of people isn’t cheap. Williams has asked Mayor John Delaney’s office for $10,000 to serve as sponsor of the convention’s main event, The Merit Award Reception.
Delaney’s press secretary, Sharon Ashton, said Williams’ request has been received and a decision has not been made.
“We will evaluate it to decide if we can do it,” said Ashton, adding that a funding source had not been identified. Because the request is the first of its kind for Jacksonville, the mayor’s office doesn’t have any precedence to go by.
Rather than ask the mayor’s office for all $10,000, Williams is also seeking backing from City Council, the Tourist Development Council and any other public or private institution. While the financial assistance isn’t paramount, Williams said it would allow him to rely less on private sponsors and local businesses to recoup expenditures.
One person that has come through already is Mill Cove Golf Course owner T.C. Newman, who agreed to host a tournament the first day of the convention.
“He’s the first black recently to own a local golf course,” said Williams. “Years ago there was a course on the Northside owned by the African-American Life Insurance Company, but it closed a long time ago.”
Williams said the organization’s two annual conventions have distinctly different tones. The January convention is much more relaxed, while the June convention is more business-like. By bringing dozens of African-American newspaper owners and publishers to town, Williams believes Jacksonville will get national exposure that no public relations campaign could match.
“The city of Jacksonville will be discussed on the front page of nearly every African-American newspaper in the United States as the host city of the NNPA’s 175th convention,” wrote Williams in a letter to Delaney. “This type of publicity for our city cannot be purchased.”
The convention is also personal to Williams. After touting Jacksonville for years, he knows the pressure is on to deliver a good show.
“Everybody is looking forward to this one and seeing Jacksonville because I’ve raised so much hell,” he said. “They want to see if I can deliver.”