Thank you to AT&T for sponsoring my attendance to the 2016 NABJ Convention
I recently returned from my first NABJ (National Association of Black Journalists) Convention. As I mentioned in this post, I attended the joint NABJNAHJ convention as part of the AT&T Inspired Mobility initiative. The convention was rich in experiences, information, and of course inspiration.
I wish I could share everything that happened over the 5+ days of the conference, but this post will be way too long if I tried to do that. Instead, I wanted to share some of my top inspirational moments from the NABJ conference.
1) There were so many high points of this convention but I’ll start with Rev Run’s Inspired Mobility session which was moderated by Alfred Edmond Jr. of Black Enterprise.
During the session, Rev Run shared lots of words of wisdom from his journey from rapper to Reverend, family life, marriage, success God’s way, and why sharing inspiration online is so important to him. Here are two of my favorite nuggets.
My top was my bottom. Made it to top of the rap game but was empty on the bottom @RevRunWisdom #inspiredmobility pic.twitter.com/OTEhzaaWN1
— Vashti (@VeePeeJay1) August 5, 2016
Many people aren’t successful b/cuz they are giving God answers to questions he didn’t ask. Be Authentic – @RevRunWisdom #inspiredmobility
— Vashti (@VeePeeJay1) August 5, 2016
2) It was also at this session that AT&T revealed the results of their research on how sharing inspiration online is impacting people’s lives. Based on my own experience, I was not at all surprised that 72% of respondents said that accessing inspiration online makes their world better.
Another highlight of the chat was the release of a collection of Rev Run’s wisdom to the session attendees. This book is full of some of Rev Run’s most popular inspirational quotes. If you would like to grab it, it’s available for FREE download here.
Of course, getting to meet Rev Run with my fellow AT&T Influencers was amazing as well 😉
RELATED: Why I use my platform to share inspiration
3) As an entrepreneur, the session of the “Changing Face of Entrepreneurship” was ones of my favorites. The panelists were all phenomenal, but one of my favorite moments came when Kathryn Finney, Founder of Digital UnDivided shared what inspired her to go from blogger to tech entrepreneur, investor, and visionary.
“How do I help people who look like me?” This led @KathrynFinney to create @DigUnDiv #NABJNHJ16 #inspiredmobility pic.twitter.com/ZD8UE8s61G
— Vashti (@VeePeeJay1) August 3, 2016
4) Two words: Lupita N’yongo
Like many of you, I’m sure, I’m a huge fan of Lupita and her work. Not only did we have the opportunity to screen Queen of Katwe which is a MUST SEE, but Lupita was present for a Q&A session. *squeals* One of my favorite moments happened when Lupita shared how she felt compelled to share the story of Queen of Katwe because she knew it could change the lives of Phiona (main character) and her family.
5) Two More Words: Ava DuVernay
We also had the opportunity to screen the first episode of Ava’s new show “QUEEN SUGAR” which premiere’s on OWN this September. By the end of the episode, we had laughed, gotten angry and bawled our eyes out. That’s just a hint of what to expect.
Inspirational Moment: During the Q&A session that followed (which included the entire cast), Ava shared that the show had an all female directorial team. She highlighted the fact that she really wanted to spotlight and give an opportunity to the many female directors who are often overlooked.
6) If you’re connected with me on social media, especially Instagram you would have seen me post (in my Instastory) my excitement at the opportunity to be part of the session with Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. It’s definitely not every day that you get to sit in a room with someone who may become the first female US President.
7) The NABJ conference ended with a Gospel Brunch. It was the perfect way to end an amazing week of learning and networking. During the brunch, we enjoyed live praise and worship from Jarmel Evans, Lisa Page Brooks and Kevin Levar. Then it was testimony time and Jarrett Hill took the stage.
If you’re not familiar with Jarrett, he is the journalist who caught the fact that parts of Melania Trump’s speech were the same as First Lady Michelle Obama’s convention speech. What you may not know is that for 14 months prior to this Jarrett was out of a job. She shared how he constantly pleaded to God for help. Then while sitting at his local Starbuck (for the free Wi-fi 🙂 ) he noticed the plagiarism. Of course, this propelled him into the national spotlight, and he is now employed again. This was definitely one of my favorite moments of the weekend because it was an awesome testimony of how God works.
My entire experience at the NABJ/NAHJ conference was phenomenal. In addition to all these inspirational moments, of course, I networked and learned from all the speakers and sessions I attended.
L-R Ashley (Dontdieafraid.com), Jonnita (Jonnitacondra.com), Elle (CleverlyChanging.com) Nurse Alice (AliceBenjamin.com). *Roderick (TechGuySmartBuy.com) in photo above.
Also, having the opportunity to share this experience with these other AT&T influencers also made the convention so much richer. It was awesome getting to know them all and hearing their own inspirational stories. As the research shows #InspiredMobility is here to stay and it’s definitely impacting people’s lives in a positive way.
YOUR TURN: Of all the moments I shared, did any resonate with you?
I loved Rev Runs quotes. The second one was so on point!
Wow! This must have been an amazing event. I would have loved to be there. I liked Run DMC and l love his two quotes. I also like Lupita and would have loved to hear her. I love the fact that she is a very sensible and brilliant young lady. Inspiring. Glad you had fun. P.S.. your hair looked awesome! 🙂