TBABJ Membership Meeting at 11 a.m. May 10

TBABJ Members and friends:

Our next meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, May 10, at the Golden Corrall restaurant, 6942 WEST HILLSBOROUGH AVENUE 33634 (813)882-9805.

We usually meet on the first Saturday of each month, but I will be out of town Saturday, and I have lots of information to deliver about our ongoing projects. We'd love to see you atthe meeting because we have several intiatives under development, including:

1) Busch Gardens has come on board as a sponsor of the kickoff party for the 2009 national convention, which is wonderful news. We're hoping to get their help in getting people hyped for the trip to Tampa and we're confident their involvement will convince everyone a good time is waiting for them here in Tampa.

2) We have rescheduled our public forum for May 29, titled Race, Religion and Media: Are We Getting the Coverage We Deserve? The forum is a co-sponsorship with the Council for American Islamic Relations, the Hillsborough NAACP and the Human Rights Campaign and is scheduled for the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough Community College. Currently, panelists include A mentor of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Arthur Jones, local evangelist Bill Keller, former CAIR spokesman Ahmed Bedier and local activist/radio personality Otis Anthony. We're hoping for help getting to a couple more attention-getting panelists and finishing up details.

3) We're also finalizing details for a keynote speaker at our Griot Drum Awards, tentatively scheduled for November of this year. The decision to accept enries for the awards part of the event earlier this year helped, our entries went up a bit, and we're hoping to pull together a wonderful program. We also are still accepting applications for several $1,000 scholarships to be awarded during the banquet.

I'm hoping you'll join us Saturday and lend your sweat equity to our effort.

Here's directions: Obviously, in Tampa, you can just get on 580/Hillsborough Ave. from any major artery and drive west to Town N' Country.Take I-275 to Route 60 north to ext. 4: Hillsborough Ave. turn left (west) on hillsborough and look for the restaurant.

As always, call or email if you need to discuss anything beforehand.

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
(727) 893-8521

TBABJ Now Accepting Applications for $1,000 Scholarship

It is with great pleasure that the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists announces its 2008 Scholarship Contest.

All high school and undergraduate students of color (African American, Hispanic, Asian, etc.) are eligible to apply for this contest. Deadline is Oct. 22, 2008. Applications must be postmarked by this date to be considered.

This year, we will award three $1,000 scholarships to deserving minority college students who are pursuing careers in journalism. Our desire is to empower young journalists of color to join the ranks of the working press.

In addition to the scholarship, our 2008 winners will receive student membership in the National Association of Black Journalists and TBABJ for one year.

Students currently enrolled in college or graduating high school seniors are encouraged to apply. Graduate students and previous grand prize winners are NOT eligible. Applicants MUST have a connection to the Tampa Bay area, which includes Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, among other communities in the region. We expect our winners to attend TBABJ’s annual awards banquet in the fall.

Completed application packets must be postmarked by Oct 22.

Questions? Contact Kevin Graham, TBABJ’s Scholarship Coordinator, at 813-226-3433 or kgraham@sptimes.com.

Feel free to print out the application below and send back:

2008 Student Scholarship Application

Deadline: Applications must be postmarked by Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008!

All materials become the property of TBABJ and will not be returned.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Last Name:_________________ Middle Initial:____ First Name:___________________

Permanent Address:_______________________________________________________

City:_________________________ State:________ Zip Code: ____________________

Permanent Phone Number:___________________ Personal E-mail:_________________

Present Address: __________________________________________________________

City:_________________________ State:________ Zip Code: ____________________

Present Phone Number:_____________________________________________________

Social Security Number:____________________ Are you a U.S. Citizen:___Yes ___No

If not, do you have legal documentation supporting your stay in the United States?______

School Classification for school year 2008-09 (i.e. freshman, sophomore, etc):_________

College or University:______________________________________________________
(High school seniors, please name your current school and the post-secondary institution you plan to attend.)

Projected Graduation Date (mm/yy):__________________________________________
II. Please consider the following topic in a 500-word essay:

Analyze the media’s coverage of a recent news story involving race, class or religion. Discuss how you would have covered the story.

Please enclose a photograph and five collated copies of the following:

► Completed Application

► Essay

► Resume

► Three to six examples of journalistic work (Broadcast journalists may submit a DVD but must note their role in each production, i.e. sound technician, lighting, writer, producer).

Please also include one sealed copy of the following:

► Official school transcript (Must be enclosed in an official school envelope and be stamped by your registrar’s or principal’s office).

► One to two letters of recommendation from faculty, employees or journalists familiar with your career goals.


Mail applications to:

Kevin Graham, Scholarship Coordinator
Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
1000 N Ashley Drive, Suite 700
Tampa, FL 33602