Black History month has a way of sneaking up on journalists. It waits patiently through the December holiday season. Holds its breath through January and the Martin Luther King Day parades. And then, bam! Seemingly without warning, it appears wearing a “How could you not know I was coming?” expression.
Every year, editors and producers send frantic notes urging you to create more stories with black people in them and to get an interview with the minister du jour to represent the entire Black community.
Just say no to business as usual for Black History Month 2001.
Say yes to journalism that bursts with perspective and demands full discussion of issues.
Start now.
Decide now that you will have something about the contributions of ethnic minorities to American life each day of each month. Next, affirm that you will get more than the usual sources and the usual cultural events for observances like Black History Month.
Develop sources you have never talked to before. Determine to include people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds in a variety of ways. Then, plan to include the entire newsroom in the effort.
If you add the names of two new sources to your list every week, you’ll have the people you need to expand and give depth to your coverage.
If you build a list of websites to consult each week, you certainly won’t run out of ideas as times of celebration roll in.
Finally, if you visit a different place in a different neighborhood each week, your new experiences will season your work long past February.
Don’t wait for Black History Month 2001; get a jump on it.
