Ben Crump calls NNPA, Black Press to save Black people

By Aswad Walker,
Defender Network,

Many African Americans have expressed worry about a potentially perilous four years under President Donald Trump. To that point, nationally renowned attorney Ben Crump called for an often-under-appreciated force to come to Black people’s rescue – the Black press.
Crump served as the keynote speaker at the NNPA 2025 Virtual Mid-Winter Conference, held Thursday and Friday, January 23-24, respectively. The theme The Black Press: Demanding Justice, Breaking Barriers, Ensuring Sustainability.
Specifically, Crump called on The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), a national association of African-American newspaper publishers, to be Black people’s “north star.”
“As we come upon this new year, now more than ever, we’re gonna need the leadership of the NNPA to lead our Black community,” said Crump, who viewed that leadership coming in the form of providing unfiltered, truthful hard news to combat potential dangers.
In his call he said:
“To all the [NNPA members] and executives across the country, I say, now is our time to stand up and be counted. History will ask the question, where were you when they tried to roll back our civil rights, when they tried to destroy Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and when they try to say to our children that Black History doesn’t matter? Where were you,” he stated.
Crump added that NNPA members must be ready to confront individuals, Black people, lawmakers and others who turn their backs on the needs of the Black community.
“This time in history, we must challenge [the] souls of Black people every opportunity we get. Because there will be some people who would take the path of least resistance, and we have to be ready to call them out,” he said.
Crump is not the only one sounding the alarm about Trump’s actions. Even before Crump’s charge to Black media, multiple Black media members have used their platforms to keep the general public, and Black people specifically, up to date on the barrage of Trump executive orders impacting Black people.