In addition to being a
founding member of NABJ, the current USA Today columnist also founded the
Association of Black Media Workers, the NABJ chapter in Baltimore. He assisted
in the creation of professional chapters in both Greensboro, N.C., and Norfolk,
Va.
Wickham also founded NABJ student chapters at Delaware State University and
North Carolina A&T State University, the latter at which he currently
serves as distinguished professor of journalism and interim chair of the
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication.
"DeWayne has had an
impressive career in journalism and he has achieved distinction at the highest
levels. He is a true giant in our profession," said NABJ President Gregory
Lee Jr. "Founder Wickham has touched our organization on so many levels, and
we have all benefited from his commitment and dedication. He is most deserving
of this honor." Wickham will be honored
with others at the association's Salute to Excellence Gala on June 23 during NABJ's 37th Annual Convention and
Career Fair in New Orleans.
"I am humbled by
NABJ's judgment that the work I've done as a journalist over the past 39 years
merits this special honor. Since its founding in 1975, NABJ has been a second
family for me. And so, I can think of no greater capstone to my career than to
receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from an organization I love so
deeply," Wickham said.
Wickham began his
journalism career in 1973 as a weekend intern with Baltimore's Evening Sun,
while majoring in journalism at the University of Maryland. He has worked as a
copy editing intern at the Richmond Times-Dispatch; a Capitol Hill
correspondent for U.S. News & World Report; a reporter for The (Baltimore)
Sun, and Washington correspondent for Black Enterprise magazine. He later
worked as a commentator for CBS News appearing on various programs.
Wickham is also a
founder of the Trotter Group, a group of African American opinion writers who
has met with presidents Clinton and Obama, and traveled to Cuba and the
Caribbean to report on conditions there.
"DeWayne continues
to be an insightful columnist looking at issues that impact African Americans.
He continues to offer support to fellow journalists as they navigate the difficult
times in our industry," NABJ Founder Sandra Long said. "Through his
vision as a founder of NABJ and of the Trotter Group, his legacy will continue
to be felt for decades to come."
An
advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest
organization for journalists of color in the nation, and provides career
development as well as educational and other support to its members worldwide.
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