Wednesday, Aug. 16
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Newsmaker Plenary:
A Conversation with Her Excellency Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf,
President of the Republic of Liberia

Sponsored by the Indianapolis Star/Gannett

The world’s first black female president, Ellen Johnson–Sirleaf was sworn in as the President of Liberia on January 16, 2006.

A highly trained financial expert and international economist, Johnson-Sirleaf worked for Citibank and the World Bank in Africa prior to her presidency.

Born in Monrovia, Liberia, she graduated from the College of West Africa, a United Methodist high school. Johnson-Sirleaf enrolled in Madison Business College in Wisconsin and earned a B.B.A in Accounting in 1964. She later obtained a Master of Public Administration from Harvard in 1971.

After graduating from Harvard, Johnson-Sirleaf returned to Liberia to become the Assistant Minister of Finance in President William Tolbert's administration.She fled the country in the late 1970s after the Tolbert government was overthrown. She was one of a few officials to avoid death when a firing squad killed 13 Liberian cabinet ministers.

In three decades Johnson-Sirleaf has witnessed two civil wars, a military coup and the displacement of half a million Liberians. She currently serves as a delegate for the U.N. Development Programme for Africa where she has committed herself to decreasing poverty, fueling economic growth and promoting peace.

Moderator:
Lester Holt, The Today Show-Weekend Edition, NBC News
Lester Holt is the co-anchor of NBC’s "Today Show, Weekend Edition", the nation’s top-rated weekend news program.

Holt also serves as a correspondent for “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams” and the weekday “Today” show, and he contributes to NBC Sports and Olympic coverage as an anchor and correspondent. Holt also hosts “Headliners and Legends” and numerous documentaries on MSNBC, NBC’s 24-hour cable news network.

The award-winning broadcast journalist came to MSNBC from WBBM-TV in Chicago, where he spent 14 years. His duties at WBBM-TV included anchoring the evening news.

Previously, Holt worked as a reporter at WCBS-TV in New York City from 1981-82. In 1982 he transferred to sister station KCBS-TV in Los Angeles as a reporter and weekend anchor and returned to WCBS-TV a year later as a reporter and weekend anchor.

Holt majored in government at California State University in Sacramento. He resides in New York City with his wife and family.

Thursday, August 17, 2006
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

W.E.B. DuBois Lecture: Leading Black America - WHO IS IN CHARGE
Sponsored by The Indianapolis Star/Gannett
The names of Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson and the namesake for this lecture series, W.E.B. DuBois, have all been considered at some point as leaders of the black community. It seems that in many ways, Black America is still searching for leadership. But in other ways, some question if there is a need for a titular leader, while so many blacks have started to succeed in areas of sports, business and politics. This panel will look at the future of black leadership, with a panel of established leaders and up and coming figures that are looking to change the country and the world.

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Friday, August 18 2006
9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Owning Our Own: Black Media Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century
This panel will explore the realities of "the black media" -- in particular, what it means to own and operate a media company that delivers black-oriented news and information for black consumers. What are the challenges to the growth and development of black-owned media properties, what role do they play in delivering the news, how important are they to the development of black journalists and what will be their future? All these questions will be explored in what should be a very enlightening plenary session.

Moderator:
Michel Martin
National Public Radio

Award-winning journalist Michel Martin joined National Public Radio (NPR) in January 2006 and will host a daily afternoon public affairs and cultural program focusing on stories of importance to African Americans, slated to launch in late 2006. The program will be produced by NPR partnership with the African American Public Radio Consortium (AAPRC) She is also contributor and substitute host for NPR newsmagazine and talk programs.

Martin brings more than 20 years of journalism experience to NPR, including broadcast network television and major U.S. newspapers. Since 1996, she has been correspondent for ABC News' Nightline. Martin joined ABC News in 1992 and has contributed to a wide range of its programs and specials, including the network’s award-winning coverage of September 11, a documentary on the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas controversy, a critically-acclaimed AIDS special and reports for the ongoing series America in Black and White. 

Martin will continue as contributor to ABC News programs, including Nightline and the network's digital channel ABC News Now.

Martin previously covered state and local politics for the Washington Post and national politics and policy at the Wall Street Journal, where she was White House correspondent. She has also been a regular panelist on the PBS series Washington Week and a contributor to NOW with Bill Moyers.

Covering Katrina: Truth and Consequences
Sponsored by BELO

Most of America watched in disbelief as the Gulf Coast region became overwhelmed with hundred-mile per hour winds and inundated with storm surge and floodwaters following Hurricane Katrina. Many became outraged as they watched thousands stranded at the Louisiana Superdome and convention center screaming, begging for basic necessities, food and water. We saw victims dying in the streets, or standing on their rooftops signaling for help. We saw the devastated towns of Biloxi, Gulfport and Pascagoula swamped by 30-foot storm surge and record winds. Though many knew the “big one” would hit one day, the region and the nation was not prepared. Why? And why does the recovery appear to be stalled? Will displaced New Orleans, especially numerous black residents, ever be able to return to the city they loved? Why are things moving faster in Mississippi?

To begin the discussion, New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin will address these and many other questions as our guest speaker during this session.  Though many considered the beleaguered mayor to be down and out, he proved naysayers wrong as he was re-elected by a 4 percent margin. Find out what he has planned for the city during the next four years.

Next, a panel discussion, featuring award-winning journalists and officials who were in New Orleans and South Mississippi during and after the storm, will tackle the journalism and societal issues the storm uncovered. Get a better sense of what went wrong from the eyes of those who were there. 

Moderator
Michele Norris
Host, All Things Considered
National Public Radio

Michele Norris, an award-winning journalist, hosts All Things Considered , public radio's longest-running national program, with Robert Siegel and Melissa Block. Norris began hosting on December 9, 2002.

Before coming to NPR, Norris was a correspondent for ABC News, a post she held from 1993 - 2002. As a contributing correspondent for the Closer Look segments on World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Norris reported extensively on education, inner city issues, the nation's drug problem, and poverty. Norris has also reported for the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and Los Angeles Times.

Norris has received numerous awards for her work, including the 1990 Livingston Award and both an Emmy Award and Peabody Award for her contribution to the ABC News network’s coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She attended the University of Wisconsin, where she majored in electrical engineering, and graduated from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis where she majored in journalism.

Saturday, August 19, 2006
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Plenary Session III
Black Sports Reporters..Black Athletes and Coaches... Friends or Foes
Sponsored by the NABJ Sports Task Force

An examination of a relationship between black reporters and black athletes in the aftermath of the media fiascos between Philadelphia Eagle stars Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens and Los Angeles Times reporter Jason Reid, who had a dispute with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Milton Bradley, who is also black. The plenary will also address a recent report by the Associated Press Sports Editors that finds 88.7 percent of sports journalists are white, which brings a set of many challenges for black sports reporters and black athletes.

Moderator:

Michael Eaves
sports reporter
Fox Sports West

Michael Eaves joined the "Southern California Sports Report" at Fox Sports Network in January 2003. In addition to his anchor duties, he hosts the Clippers pre-game show "Clippers Courtside" and serves as sideline reporter for Clippers games.  Eaves has covered a variety of sporting events, including the NBA All-Star weekend at the Staples Center in 2004.  Eaves joined FSN from WPTY TV in Memphis where he worked as a sports anchor for four years. Prior to that, he spent seven years with WKYT-TV in Lexington, Kentucky as a sports reporter, producer and anchor. While at WKYT TY, he co-anchored "This Week in Kentucky Basketball" and co-anchored and produced 27 Sports Spectrum.