The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) recently recognized President Barack Obama and the First Family as the 2008 Newsmakers of the Year, and Jackie Hampton, publisher of The Mississippi Link, was present for the award presentation.
Not only was she there at the White House in the historic Lincoln room where the presentation was made, she and fellow colleagues had the opportunity to shake hands with the nation’s 44th and first African-American President of the United States, as well as First Lady Michelle Obama, the first African-American woman to wear such a title.
No doubt Hampton will note this opportunity in her repertoire of historical moments, especially as the nation observes March as Women’s History Month. “It was an incredible experience. I was elated to be in the presence of the nation’s President and First Lady. They are such a warm and receptive couple. As Miclelle Obama welcomed us to their home, I truly felt welcomed,” said Hampton, who has served as a member of the NNPA board for two years,
Hampton was among a delegation of 50 black publishers and their guests who were in Washington last week to celebrate Black Press Week. March 16 marked the 182nd birthday of the Black Press.
While Hampton felt profoundly honored for the opportunity to meet the President and First Lady, she said they were equally esteemed to NNPA for the Newsmakers of the Year Award, the highest annual honor bestowed during Black Press Week celebrations.
Asked whether she could get a sense of how the President and First Lady are as individuals during her brief, historic encounter, Hampton gave this response: “I have no doubt that they truly admire one another. President Obama looked at his wife with great pride as she eloquently thanked NNPA for honoring her entire family. When he spoke, her eyes were on him with that same look of pride and admiration. I think they are a very genuine and down to earth couple with the ability to conquer practically anything they believe in.”
Unlike the thousands who have commented that they never thought they would live to see the nation’s first black president, Hampton said her newspaper “saw it coming.” She is referring to a graphic depiction The Mississippi Link Black History Supplement displayed two years ago that included the then presidential candidate Barack Obama in the lineup of milestone African-American history makers – past, present and projected.
According to Hampton, she could not fully describe the excitement, the honor and the privilege she felt at the moment of the handshake. “We as publishers could not have chosen better recipients for our Newsmakers of the Year Award,” said Hampton.
Be the first to comment