BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Over 4,000 black journalists are in attendance at the 2023 National Association of Black Journalists Convention held at the BJCC in downtown Birmingham.

On Wednesday, the conference began with a day filled with career development sessions and a career fair.

“All the people come together, we’re black and we’re brown and it’s like a big community,” said Iyani Hughes, an Anchor/Reporter in Atlanta, GA.

An annual conference, this year the organization is making a stop in the Magic City and so far according to those attending, it’s off to a great start.

“You see a bunch of people who you haven’t seen in years and so that’s one of the things that you look forward too,” said Chris Ruffin, a Senior Producer at ABC 24 in Memphis, TN.

The conference offers an opportunity for media professionals and journalists to connect with other media professionals and journalists from all over the country.

“It’s very important to have a community as black journalists because we are so outnumbered in this industry. It’s important because we need people who look like us, who are going through the same things as we’re going through, who have experienced the same things that
we’ve all experienced,” said Hughes.

This weeklong conference is being held at the BJCC until Aug. 6.