Black women journalists expose Trump's threat to the world
Dear friends,
When Kamala Harris announced that she would replace Biden as candidate for US president on the Democratic ticket, Ghanaian-American international journalist Erica Ayisi says her first thoughts were for “the lives of Black women and girls in the States.”
As a Black woman in the national media spotlight, Harris has already been subject to racist media coverage, something that unfortunately translates to the “risk of harassment, verbally and sexually and spiritually, for all Black women and girls,” adds Ayisi.
“As Malcolm X famously said: ‘The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman.’ ”
When Trump accepted his invitation to the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Chicago on July 31, which Ayisi attended as a member of the NABJ since 2011, “I did not expect to see a different side to him,” she adds.
If you saw the news coverage, you will know that Trump, who was already once president of the United States 2016-2020, stalled the panel because he did not want to be fact-checked; accused moderator Rachel Scott of being ‘rude’, ‘horrible’ and ‘nasty’ after she pointed out the many reasons Black voters may think twice about voting for him;* and falsely suggested Kamala Harris misled voters about her race.
I am honoured to bring you an interview with Ms Ayisi (pictured above at the entrance to the NABJ convention) for this edition of The Troubled Region. She provides us with an international perspective on what went down at the NABJ convention, and also reflects on how the NABJ might create a smoother and safer process next time.
As colleagues between the US, Mexico, Ghana, and Australia, it was also great to chat about the challenges of de-centering US media stories while also taking into account the power the US has in the world and the uses of US privilege.
Trump and his many supporters are known for their racist, sexist bullying of journalists or indeed anyone who questions or criticises the former president. Inside the United States, stopping him from becoming voted president for a second time has become an urgent project for civil society and the Democratic party, particularly as revelations of the white supremacist and theocratic Project 2025, driven by Trump campaign backers The Heritage Foundation, have come to light.
Outside the US, Black audiences around the world have long expressed concern about Trump’s racism,** such as when he referred to Haiti and African countries as “shithole countries¨ in a meeting with US senators in 2018.
Global accountability
Trump´s words at the NABJ convention “were heard by the world,” says Erica Ayisi.
This is troubling, she notes, but “I think it’s important for people to know, especially Americans, that interviewing former presidents and presidential candidates in an open forum is a rare and privileged opportunity. Holding people accountable in other parts of the world can be dire.
A majority of my work is based in Africa where in contrast, journalists are dying while trying to bring truth to light. 2022 was one of the deadliest years for journalists globally according to PBS. Since the Israel-Gaza war in 2023, 100 journalists have been killed in the region.
Although it was painful to witness, Ayisi says NABJ held Trump accountable, leaving an interview that voters will critique through the election season and beyond.
Holding politicians accountable is what we as journalists do -whether the politician is decent or not.”
In this case, “Trump missed an opportunity to speak directly to Black voters,” Ayisi continues.
“He chose to deflect and disrespect Black Americans instead of answering questions that impact lives,” she says.
“He showed up to be him - a racist, misogynistic, narcissistic ,crass, convicted felon running for his second term as president of the United States.”
In particular, Ayisi says it was clear Trump “wanted to disparage and diminish Vice President Kamala Harris’ Blackness by delegitimising her in front of a room of Black journalists.”
Ayisi points out that “America created racial categories for its citizens.
And no one, especially a white man, can define the identity of a mixed-race person.
This attack was a tactic to disconnect Harris from the Black community while also ask for their votes. Harris is and was born Black.”
Racist politicians and safety for Black journalists
“As a Black woman sitting inside NABJ’s conversation with Trump I felt vulnerable,” Ms Ayisi shares.
“He insulted me. He insulted us.”
Trump´s intention to communicate “disdain for Black women, educated Black women and Black journalists was clear, says Ayisi, as was “his immunity stance for police officers who murder unarmed Black women in referencing Sonya Massey, a Black woman recently shot and killed in her home by police in Illinois.
Massey called for police protection under possible suspension of prowler near her home, while Trump said immunity ‘depends’ for Sean Grayson, the white police officer who shot Sonya dead in the head.
He also communicated no accountability for his previous attacks against Black women, former President Obama and the overall Black community.
He deflected opportunities to address his previous comments and replaced it by calling his Black woman moderator’s question ‘nasty’ and chastised her for not saying ‘hello’ and called her news station ‘fake news.’
He communicated blatant disrespect for Kamala Harris, by pronouncing her name incorrectly.”
Erica Ayisi says that “Trump didn’t say anything new. His overt racism and misogyny are well documented.
The significance of the comments is that they were made in a room of Black journalists and essentially to the Black community in the States.”
And herein lies the challenge for the NABJ, Ayisi suggests.
“While I do support extending an invitation to both candidates to appear for a conversation at the convention since that is NABJ’s usual practice,” says Ayisi, the event “also exposed flaws within the organisation’s leadership, planning and level of transparency.
Trump is not an ordinary candidate and these are not ordinary times.
NABJ members were notified of Trump’s appearance at the conference just 48 hours before it began.
We did not have an opportunity to collectively support each other or support the journalists who were selected to serve as Trump’s moderators.
I don’t think the initial email announcement offered any type of support as Black journalists who have been on the receiving end of Trump’s attacks.”
“Twitter was on fire!!!”
Moderator Rachel Scott said that NABJ had partnered with PolitiFact to fact-check the conversation in real time, but “evidence of live fact checking happening was inconsistent.¨ Further, “NABJ has not offered opportunities for its members to unpack or debrief Trump’s conversation.”
“We as journalists and paid members of NABJ did not have an opportunity to submit questions for the presidential candidate.”
Ms Ayisi said Trump’s behaviour and the convention’s organisational issues raised the question of “whether NABJ will continue to invite presidents and presidential candidates to their conventions in the future.”
Kamala Harris will likely appear for a virtual or in-person Q&A at a meeting of the NABJ later in the year.
Trump showed Black voters who he is
“Post-convention ,the Trump campaign is in trouble; he is losing against Harris in the polls,” Ayisi observes.
“While I feel grateful to have been present for NABJ holding Trump's feet to the fire in a conversation led by Black women, the annual convention isn’t a newsroom.
It’s a safe space to connect with like-minded Black colleagues, grow within our profession and inspire the next generation of young journalists.”
Some of that safety was missing at the convention, as Ayisi reflects. And:
“Trump’s appearance at NABJ may exactly be what voters need to stop this autocrat from becoming president again.”
“It will be interesting to see how NABJ will go about this in the next presidential election cycle,” she concludes.
More trouble coming
Big thanks to Erica Ayisi for generously sharing her experiences and perspectives with The Troubled Region. Go ahead and follow her on X now, and catch up on her reporting throughout the world at her website.
Later in the week I'm hoping to bring you word from journalist colleagues reporting on the ground in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where a student-led revolution has toppled the dictator Sheikh Hasina and hopes are high for change.
In coming weeks I´ll be sharing more of my reporting from Mexico*** and bringing in friends who can share news and information about Venezuela, Ukraine, Sudan and Congo.
On Palestine - follow journalists like Hind Khoudary and Bisan Owda, donate e-sims via Connecting Humanity, support the Freedom Flotilla, donate/fundraise for medical care, food and water. Pressure your political leaders to end the genocide - leave your complicit political parties, camp out, make noise. This horror must end.
In love and struggle,
Ann.****
*the reasons included: “you have told four Congresswomen women of colour who are American citizens to ´go back to where they came from´” and “you've had dinner with a white supremacist at your Mar-A-Lago resort.”
**I got to discuss this with Ireti Bakare-Yusuf of Nigeria Info FM when I was a guest on her talkback show Borderlines late last month - you can watch the full discussion here, nb., we mount a defence of cat ladies at 16.40.
***all my latest reporting is gathered on Linktree, you can also follow me on Instagram and X.
****I am available for hire! See my LinkedIn profile for the full list of writing, research, translation and education services along with my work history and endorsements. Let's work together!