Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll pass on Leodora’s rationale for the abolition of the NABJ

As I was sifting through emails last week, trying to decide what hopefully eye-catching headline to write for the next edition of The Times Herald and attempting to pick out the next impossibly cute outfit for my impossibly cute 6-month-old daughter, I was relieved to discover one important decision -- knowing which African American institutions are relevant and which ones aren’t -- had been taken off my plate thanks to columnist Tony Leodora.

Whew! What a relief. We all know how well things go when minorities have their druthers dictated to them.

Leodora’s column, ‘Parker’s award just a bit tainted’ takes umbrage to a recent announcement that Rob Parker had been named Sports Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalist. He described the news as “jarring.”

So jarring, in fact, it threatened to ruin the enjoyment of the arugula, avocado and seared tuna salad being served to him at an area restaurant.

I guess even more jarring and certainly more noteworthy, to him, than last month’s shooting massacre at a Maryland newsroom much like the one he used to work in, which he made no mention of in his columns since the tragedy.

Or the fact that with just a little journalistic digging, he could have found out that Parker did not actually win the award, as was erroneously broadcast on FS1, Jemele Hill — who infamously called Donald Trump a white supremacist — did. Parker won the award for NABJ’s Sports Task Force’s Journalist of the Year.

But let’s stop the head-spinning right there to get to the larger, obviously triggering issue.

“Why is there a need for a National Association of Black Journalists? ...Isn’t Parker’s (Hill’s) work good enough to stand up against the rest of the people reporting on sports?” Leodora asks, among other questions in the same vein.

I have some answers. But before I get to them I’d like to point out that the award is not tainted just because Leodora said so. And Parker’s colleagues at Fox Sports must not have thought so either as evidenced

by their release of a congratulatory statement.

First, a little history. The NABJ was established in 1975 to help black journalists network, find jobs, obtain promotions, provide training, mentorship and scholarships, and develop a group of professionals dedicated to providing “balanced coverage of the black community and society at large” in an industry where they were often shut out — hence the long, proud history of independent black publications.

And yes, it remains relevant because of the continued dearth of African Americans in newsrooms across the country and the difficulty breaking into the field and moving up once you get there.

I was one of three writer/editors of color I knew of in the Montgomery County cluster of Digital First Media newspapers (the parent company of The Times Herald) when I started five years ago; one left for greener pastures (higher pay) and the other was recently laid off. The Philadelphia cluster includes, along with the Herald, Lansdale Reporter, Pottstown Mercury, West Chester Daily Local, Delaware County Times and the Trentonian.

None of them were in sports. None of us got promoted, even after taking on added responsibilities due to “ongoing realignment efforts.” None of us, as far as I know, was hired because of the “dangerous mindset” of affirmative action.

And unfortunately, none of us, like the example Leodora provided to try to prove his point, were former pro athletes with an automatic foot in the door.

Out of dozens of black students in my journalism classes, I’m one of a handful that landed a job in the industry, and that’s not because I was the only one qualified. And my story is not unique.

Does the works of Parker, or Hill, pass muster when stacked up against that of their wider group of peers?

Undoubtedly — not probably so, as Leodora posits — and that could be easily gleaned if one takes the time to read their insightful columns or has seen them pontificate on numerous network flagship sports shows.

Do we still need balanced coverage of the black community, sports included?

Well, let’s examine the issue of the NFL players’ pre-game protests of the disproportionate cases of police brutality in the black community.

Whichever side you fall on - it’s certainly important, if not merely relevant, for the black voices in journalism to be heard from, not just talked over or lectured to.

To answer another question posed in the column, I’d have no problem with an association of women journalists — another underrepresented group — if they got together and decided that’s what they wanted to do. But that’s their decision, not mine. And certainly not Tony Leodora’s

Heck, I’d have no problem with a white journalists association, especially if they painstakingly worked hand-in-hand with their colleagues of other ethnic backgrounds and cultures each and every day to foster an inclusive and productive work environment like the members of the NABJ. Good luck with that.

I could go on but as other black journalists I’ve gotten the chance to commiserate with “at the meetings” can attest, it gets exhausting.

To put it in sports terms, maybe there will be no need for an NABJ when news organizations reflect the same kind of diversity of skilled and qualified individuals we see on the field, on the court, or in the ring.

Maybe my baby girl will see that day.

It’s nice to know that Mr. Leodora still finds that the Congressional Black Caucus is necessary, because I do, too. But when it comes to taking his advice on the relevance of institutions that advocate on behalf of black people, I’ll respectfully decline.

Although I do have to give him credit for reminding me to renew my membership.

Congratulations, Jemele.

Oscar Gamble is a Times Herald staffer. Reach him at ogramble@timesherald.com.