By JÓSE LÓPEZ BRIBIESCA, ANNIE GREENBERG,
AMY PHAN, NICQUEL TERRY, VIRGINIA TORRES and APRIL YEE
The UNITY News

Leaders of UNITY’s member organizations debated whether, after 20 years, the organization will continue in its current structure, amid concerns that it may have strayed from its core mission, and is unprepared to handle the journalism’s current troubles.

During several sessions at the UNITY 2008 convention, past and present leaders of the member organizations raised issues central to whether UNITY is meeting its mission. Among them were UNITY founders Juan Gonzalez and Will Sutton, who suggested the convention take place every two years, instead of four.

The National Association of Black Journalists, the largest member group, announced that it plans to survey its members within weeks about future participation in UNITY, citing financial and planning concerns.

Christopher Nelson, NABJ’s student representative, said officials plan to evaluate the relationship after the survey.

“There are those who say we need to get out, and there are those who say we need to stay in to maintain the connection,” Nelson said. “UNITY is still relevant. The question is: How is UNITY going to push forward the diversity agenda?”

Maybe UNITY needs to change, said Ernie Suggs, NABJ vice president of print.

“But I don’t think UNITY needs to end. It’s like fighting a war,” Suggs said. “You can’t have the four battalions coming together every four years to fight a war. You have to have the platoons fighting on the front in each city.”

Rafael Olmeda, whose term as NAHJ president ended Friday, said UNITY is vital to the industry, especially in the wake of recent buyouts, because it gives hope to journalists looking to network and revive their careers.

“We’re a coalition,” he said, “We can’t let news organizations get away with entertaining the idea that because of the economy, they don’t have to pay attention to diversity.”

UNITY also boosts member’s revenues by covering most conference expenses.

“We end up not paying for a lot,” Olmeda said, “It works out to our benefit.”

Onica Makwakwa, executive director of UNITY, said the idea that the four minority organizations stand to lose money during a conference year “is a myth.”

In fact, an analysis of IRS 990 forms filed by each of the organizations shows significant increases in revenue that officials attribute to their participation in UNITY.

Twenty percent of total revenues from the annual UNITY convention go directly to UNITY. Of the remaining 80 percent - 40 percent is split equally among the four member organizations, and 40 percent is allotted based on attendance.

Patty Talahongva, an executive producer for White Spider Communications, said UNITY also helps relieve a lot of stereotypes.

“Being open and aware can help us as journalists,” said Talahongva, who was president of NAJA in 2003 and 2004. “UNITY is UNITY because we all come together.”

Several longtime members of the Native American Journalists Association are split on whether UNITY has delivered on the promise of bringing diverse groups together.

“We are the smallest group, but still [feel] an equal part of it,” said Jeff Harjo, executive director of NAJA.

But former NAJA and UNITY president Kara Briggs said changes need to be made because UNITY may have lost its focus.

“Some [NAJA] members struggle to pay the high registration fees,” Briggs said. “We’ve lost perspective of what we are all about.”

“UNITY still struggles in representing Native Americans in all, or even half of the convention panels,” said Ruth Denny, former executive director of NAJA.

A sticking point was the absence of an NAJA member on a panel about diabetes, a major issue across Indian Country.

While each of the organizations have concerns about the relevance of the conference, Sharon Chan, who is the national governing board member for AAJA, believes in the power of the UNITY convention and minority journalists working together.

Chan, a Seattle Times reporter and incoming AAJA president, said, “In the future, I see a richer, more diverse media landscape.”

“I believe journalists of color matter more in this online world where readers are more proactive about discussing, demanding, and producing news content,” Chan said.

“Someone, either big or small, will figure out a business model,” she said, “If we fail, we will try again.”

By AMY PHAN
The UNITY News Online

Co-founders Juan Gonzalez and Will Sutton have proposed UNITY hold joint conventions every two years instead of every four.

In a statement released on Thursday, they said more people would have the opportunity to attend UNITY at a lower cost.

Sutton and Gonzalez also said they want UNITY to find more ways to fund education, in order to “produce proactive public policy positions.”

They have proposed the creation of a “UNITY publishing incubator” funded by venture capitalists. Journalists of color could then launch their own media companies to compete with the ones that have “failed to hire, promote and retain enough of us.”

Sutton and Gonzalez have also proposed a reduction in size of the UNITY board of directors.

They said their ideas will help ensure a better future for UNITY in a changing media landscape.

“We’re standing on top of quicksand, and it’s important that we quickly grab hold of each other and the nearby branches and limbs to pull ourselves out of the pit and onto more secure foundations upon which we can build a brighter future,” they said in the statement.

Executive director Onica Makwakwa said UNITY has selected preliminary cities to host UNITY 2012.

As of Thursday, the total number of registered UNITY participants was 6,665, Makwakwa said.

According to Makwakwa, the preliminary revenue for the 2008 convention was $4.3 million, not including revenue from registration fees. She predicted the total revenue would be $4.5 million, matching that of 2004.

By SIERRA JIMINEZ
The UNITY News

There was momentary confusion Friday morning when the UNITY ’08 Career Fair and Media Expo opened at 11 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. as it had the previous two days.

Although the times were printed correctly in the convention itinerary, dozens of convention attendees huddled around the entrance, where security kept them at bay.

Saturday is the last day for the career fair, which runs from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

By Venus Lee
The UNITY News

This year’s UNITY convention revenue and registration are not expected to significantly change compared with 2004 figures, according to UNITY officials.

UNITY Executive Director Onica Makwakwa, in a press conference Thursday, said the total revenue and attendance figures were still being calculated, but reported UNITY 2008 has pulled in $4.3 million in preliminary revenue, surpassing the organization’s $4.2 million goal. Preliminary revenue is based upon donations and sponsorships, while total revenue includes profit from registration fees.

“We did really well from a fundraising point of view,” she said.

She projected the total revenue, including registration fees, could surpass the $4.5 million in total revenue raised in 2004 from the last UNITY convention in Washington, D.C.

However, revenue was not expected to significantly increase as it did over the past three UNITY conventions. The first UNITY convention reported $300,000 revenue. It increased to $2.5 million in 1999 and to $4.5 million in 2004.

Registration numbers do not point to a significant increase in total attendance either, Makwakwa said.

As of Thursday, UNITY 2008 tallied 6,665 registrants, which was slightly lower than UNITY 2004’s 7,273 total registrants.

Makwakwa said the registration figures were slightly lower than expected, but attributed it to the declining economy and reduced membership in the alliance associations.

Based on the registration figures, she speculated total attendance would approximately match the UNITY 2004 convention that attracted an estimated 8,100 people. UNITY had forecasted 10,000 attendees this year, based upon steady growth over the past three conventions. The 1994 UNITY convention attracted 6,000 people to Atlanta, while 6,800 people came to Seattle in 1999.

Attendance figures include registrants as well as representatives from sponsoring companies and local people who attend convention events.

Makwakwa was not especially worried about the lack of growth in attendance.

“We are more concerned with fulfilling our mission [of advocating fair and accurate news coverage about people of color] as opposed to counting numbers,” she said.

As for the future of UNITY conventions, Makwakwa said it was “too early to tell,” because it would depend more on the changes in the industry.