ABOUT US

BlackPressUSA.com

BlackPressUSA.com is the joint web presence of America’s Black community newspapers and the NNPA News Service — the last national Black Press news wire.  It is a project of the Black Press Institute, a partnership between the National Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation and Howard University.  Our technology partner is XIGroup, a Baltimore-based website development company co-owned by Joy Bramble, publisher of the Baltimore Times (an NNPA-member publication).

As the only national website featuring news exclusively from African-American journalists and Black community publications, www.BlackPressUSA.com has been well-received by on-line news readers, including several popular Black talk radio hosts.  “I used to check the Washington Post’s website first thing every morning,” says Joe Madison, morning talk radio host at WOL-AM in Washington, DC.  “Now I check BlackPressUSA.com.”

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)

The National Newspaper Publishers Association is a 60 year-old trade association of more than 200 Black community newspapers from across the nation.  Convened in 1940 by Chicago Defender publisher John Sengstacke, the NNPA adopted a mission to “promote the interest of the Black Press by securing unity and action in all matters relative to the profession of journalism and the business of publishing, The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless of color or creed, full human and legal rights.  Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.”  The NNPA also serves as the industry’s news service supplying its member newspapers with Congressional coverage, stories from other member papers, international and domestic briefs, a national feature story, and essays by syndicated columnists.

The NNPA Foundation (NNPF)

Established in the 1970s, the NNPA Foundation is a 501c(3) tax-exempt organization that has traditionally focused on pre-professional training and encouraging excellence in the industry.  Its programs include: the Black Press Archives and Gallery of Distinguished Publishers at Howard University, the A. Phillip Randolph Messenger Awards for Excellence in publishing and reporting, a summer internship program offering journalism students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience at Black newspapers, and a scholarship fund providing financial assistance to college and graduate students with an interest in journalism. 

The Black Press Institute

The Black Press Institute (“the Institute”) is a partnership between the National Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation (NNPAF) and Howard University.  The Institute provides an academic link for the Black Press that:

• Coordinates national internship, fellowship, and scholarship programs.
• Runs a series of staff development initiatives.
• Ensures the legacy & archives of the Black Press are preserved for generations to come.
• Conducts market research.
• Creates innovative programs designed to help close the digital media divide.

Xchange Interactive, Inc. (XIGroup)

Incubated in the basement of the Baltimore Times (an NNPA-member paper), Xchange Interactive Group (XIGroup) specializes in developing and implementing internet-based products and services for the automotive and content-rich news and education service delivery markets.

XIGroup serves news delivery groups from the Baltimore Times and Baltimore Sun to the US Chamber of Commerce and automotive dealers from Virginia to Pennsylvania.

For most of its clients, XIGroup provides content management through database delivery systems. For example, XIGroup created a virtual portal for the Central Atlantic Toyota Dealers (CATD) that serves over 100 dealers and tens of thousands of clients. Dealers upload content, control content delivery and interact with tens of thousands of users. Similar services are provided to the Baltimore Times and the Baltimore Sun. XIGroup has also created many highly specialized tools, including a business matching system for a Thailand/US Chamber of Commerce partnership that has generated millions of dollars in revenue for businesses in Thailand and the United States.