NLGJA joined UNITY: Journalists for Diversity in 2011, and has been working in conjunction with other UNITY partners since then. UNITY’s board of directors has made the difficult decision to dissolve the organization. While this means that UNITY will no longer exist as a formal nonprofit, this does not mean an end to NLGJA’s devotion to diversity and partnering to improve our industry. Since our founding 28 years ago, NLGJA has been committed to supporting and encouraging diversity within newsrooms, not just in regards to the LGBTQ community, but for all minority communities. We are fortunate to have built relationships with our fellow diversity journalism associations, including the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Native American Journalists Association, which we will to continue to foster.
You may be asking what UNITY’s dissolution will mean for NLGJA. In keeping with UNITY’s mission, NLGJA is creating a Diversity Committee to further promote and foster diversity within our membership, programs and partnerships. Among its initiatives, the committee will work to strengthen and increase awareness of our existing diversity programs, including the Kay Longcope Scholarship, the Excellence in Queer People of Color Coverage Award and our annual Diversity Reception.
Our industry has seen significant change since our founding, and with your continued support, we have taken each twist and turn head-on and emerged stronger. This time will be no different, and we intend to use this opportunity to expand our reach and impact. We continue to see NLGJA’s impact in news stories every day, thanks to our loyal members and partners who are devoted to our mission to foster fair and accurate LGBTQ coverage. NLGJA is stronger for having been a partner of UNITY, and we look forward to deepening the relationships we’ve made, both within and outside of our UNITY membership, to make newsrooms and coverage better. Thank you for your support.