Formed in March 1982, the Bay Area Black Journalist Association (BABJA) is an organization of African American media professionals and students in radio, television, print, multimedia and public relations. BABJA, a chapter of the National Association of Black journalists (NABJ), exists to serve as an advocate and beneficial network of journalists, students and media-related professionals.
Goals are:
- To develop partnerships with local media companies to ensure the hiring, retention and promotion of black journalists,
- To encourage and mentor black students with an interest in journalism and media,
- And to provide a professional network for Black journalists to cultivate relationships with each other.
BABJA believes it is has a responsibility to help train the next generation of black journalists. They will eventually become tomorrow's leaders in our nation's newsrooms. Most of that training takes place in our colleges and universities and our members and supporters understand one of the biggest obstacles to receiving a college diploma is the cost of tuition, fees and books. The scholarships will make it easier for aspiring journalists to complete their journalism education.
Chauncey Wendell Bailey, Jr. Scholarship
Chauncey Wendell Bailey Jr. (October 20, 1949 - August 2, 2007) was an African American journalist, renowned for his work primarily on issues of the African American community. He served as editor-in-chief of the five San Francisco Bay Area Post newspapers from June 2007 until his shooting death on August 2, 2007. His 37-year career in journalism included lengthy periods as a reporter at the Detroit News and the Oakland Tribune. Bailey immersed himself in the Oakland community, mentoring youth interested in journalism careers.
Luci S. Williams Houston Scholarship
As a teenager growing up in Washington, D. C., Luci S. Williams Houston pleaded with her parents for a camera. Her passion was to affirm life, in all its glory, in photographs. Luci earned a degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University and began a newspaper career with African American newspapers in the Washington, D.C. area. She alter became a staff photographer for the Kansas City Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and later, a picture editor and photographer at the San Jose Mercury News.
From 1993 until she was murdered in 2001 at age 43, Williams Houston documented the Bay Area as a photojournalist for the San Jose Mercury News. She initiated coverage of under-served communities and her empathy was foremost in her photographs. She was drawn to assignments that allowed her to build a sense of community, one image at a time.
Eligibility:
Students must be enrolled in any Bay Area college or university. Students attending college out of state must have graduated from high school in the Bay Area. Applicants must be studying journalism: television, radio, print and multimedia.
Awards:
$2,500 non-renewable journalism award or a $2,500 non-renewable photojournalism award.
Further Scholarship Information and Application(PDF)
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