A Toast to the Storytellers: Black History Month Mixer
2026-02-17 18:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
A Black History Month Mixer presented by WABJ and Rémy Martin and curated by MercyC PR
In a time when the role of the press feels more urgent than ever, this toast is a gathering dedicated to the media, storytellers, content creators, and culture-shapers who continue to move the truth forward.

Location: Realm Rooftop
899 O St NW
Washington DC 20001
Date: Tue, Feb 17 at 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Presented by the Washington Association of Black Journalists and Rémy Martin, this Black History Month mixer honors the legacy and impact of Black media professionals—those who write the first draft of our stories and ensure our voices remain visible, heard, and documented.Set in an elevated, intimate atmosphere, the evening will be a celebratory toast to the work that shapes history in real time.
Guests will enjoy:

Signature Rémy Martin cocktails
Passed hors d’oeuvres
Surprise performances
A room that honors legacy, and full of influential storytellers and media professionals

Protecting Legacy Places: A Black History Month Conversation
2026-02-19 17:30 - 19:30
The Conversation Fund is partnering with WABJ this month to host a panel discussion about the importance of preserving historic African American sites and the stories they hold.
The panel includes Janette (Jeanette) Howard-Moore, who marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday as a teenager, and Phillip Howard of The Conservation Fund, an organization working to preserve key African American historic sites nationwide, like historic Black beaches in Maryland.
Event Details:

Thursday, February 19th at 6 pm – 8 pm
Thurgood Marshall Center for Service & Heritage, located at 1816 12th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009

WABJ General Body Meeting
2026-03-13 18:30 - 21:00
Join WABJ for its first in-person General Body Meeting of the year on March 13th at 6:30 pm at the True Reformer Building (1200 U St NW Washington, DC 20009). Refreshments will be served. RSVP using this link.

NABJ Media-Related Media Institute
2026-03-14 08:00 - 17:00
Join us for the NABJ Media-Related Media Institute, March 14, 2026 in College Park, MD
A must-attend event for journalists and communicators!
The Institute will take place at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland, College Park (1100 Knight Hall), from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The most successful media-related professionals aren’t just adapting, they’re pivoting with precision, turning disruption into their greatest competitive advantage. This year’s Media-Related Media Institute focuses on the pivot, the strategic shifts media-related professionals make to adapt in a time of rapid change. With the growth of generative AI, changes in newsroom structures, and declining public trust, the media field requires flexibility, clarity, and steady leadership.
The Institute will bring together media-related professionals for a day of learning and discussion. Participants will examine how AI is shaping storytelling, how to maintain credibility with audiences, and how media leaders can move through uncertainty while staying aligned with their values and goals.
Whether you manage teams, guide narratives, or support strategy, this theme encourages you to reflect on your own pivot and the steps you can take to move forward in these times. The day will offer practical tools, open conversations, and space to learn from peers and plan for what comes next.
More information, including the agenda and registration details, can be found here:
https://nabjonline.org/event/nabjmri2026/
Register by March 2, 2026, for the pre-registration rate.

Black Press Sunday
2026-03-15 10:00 - 13:00 | Metropolitan AME Church, 1518 M St NW, Washington, DC, 20005, United States
Metropolitan AME Church invites the community to join in honoring the legacy and impact of the Black Press in America at Black Press Sunday on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM. This special event will take place at Metropolitan AME Church, 1518 M St NW, Washington, DC 20005.

Gridiron Sunday Reprise
2026-03-22 13:00 - 16:00
Gridiron Club Sunday Reprise: Tickets on Sale Now

Our organization has received an invitation to purchase the hottest ticket in town and attend an event that has been a Washington tradition since 1885!

The Gridiron Club and Foundation skewers Presidents and congressional leaders, political candidates and journalists at a white-tie dinner on Saturday night. The next day, the club puts on another performance, the Gridiron Sunday Reprise, for friends, family and select groups. You will see well-known Gridiron members – it might include Andrea Mitchell of NBC, Judy Woodruff of PBS and Jonathan Karl of ABC – performing in costume.

The 2026 Reprise will be held on Sunday, March 22, at the JW Marriott, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW in downtown D.C.

A reception, which includes an open bar with beer, wine and soft drinks, begins at 1 p.m. and the show starts at 2 p.m. The program will end by 4 p.m. Dress is business attire.

Tickets are $75 each, plus taxes and fee. (About $50 of the price is tax deductible because the Gridiron Club and Foundation is a charitable organization!)

Tickets can be ordered online through Eventbrite:
https://gridironreprise2026.eventbrite.com

If you have any questions or want to inquire about paying via check or Zelle to avoid fees, please send an email to gridironclubevents@gmail.com.

Black Out Loud with Geoff Bennett and Darryl Bell
2026-03-25 19:00 - 21:00 | MLK Library, 901 G Street NW, Washington, DC, 20001
What if the most important conversations about race, identity, and American values happened in comedy clubs and on television sets?

The journey of Black comedy in America is a story of laughter, resistance, and cultural power. This is the central thesis of Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to ’90s Sitcoms, the new book from Peabody Award-winning journalist and PBS NewsHour co-anchor Geoff Bennett. Bridging Journalism and Pop Culture Legacy
Bennett, who has covered the White House through six presidential election cycles, brings an investigative journalist’s rigor to cultural history. His book charts a course from vaudeville through the groundbreaking work of Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, and Whoopi Goldberg, culminating in the golden age of 1990s television. Drawing on intimate interviews with Martin Lawrence, Robert Townsend, and Keenan Ivory Wayans, Bennett reveals:
-How Black comedians functioned as cultural theorists, embedding social critiques within commercially viable humor
-The behind-the-scenes politics that shaped iconic shows like Martin, Living Single, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
-The lasting impact these artists had on American attitudes toward race and identity
A Conversation on the Revolutionary History of Black Comedy
This event combines a White House correspondent who chronicles cultural revolution and an actor who lived it. Darryl M. Bell is best known for his role as Ron Johnson on A Different World, a series that built on this comedic legacy. Over six seasons, the show used comedy and an HBCU setting to tackle discrimination, AIDS, and apartheid, setting a new standard for television. Together, they’ll unpack how the shows we grew up watching were moments of cultural transformation happening in real time.

2026 D.C. Journalism Job Fair
2026-03-28 10:00 - 14:00
The job fair is organized by the DC chapters of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists, our newest partner, the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA) and the Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS).
The job fair is at a new location this year:Georgetown University Capitol Campus111 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
When: Saturday, March 28, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m (Doors close at 1:30 PM)

Member Registration: $10Non-Member Registration: $25Georgetown Students: no charge with student ID
Those laid off in the past 12 months can attend at no cost. Please contact your local DC leader to volunteer and request financial assistance.
