VERONICA'S VIEW: Paying it Forward by Giving Today

      *Merry Christmas to all.

      I hope that you and your family are enjoying the final days of this year.

      This has been an austere season of giving for many people. And now that the gifts have been given and unwrapped, you can almost hear a collective sigh of relief because this has been a difficult year. But despite how tough it’s been, we managed to give, not as much as we perhaps would have liked, but nonetheless we gave what we could and let warmth of the season do the rest.

      It’s been a tough season for many non-profit organizations whose coffers aren’t being replenished as readily because corporations and businesses just aren’t giving like they used too.  I know this all too well as Treasurer of the Black Journalists Association of Southern California (BJASC). For the past few years contributions have waned significantly. But our commitment to the next generation of young and aspiring journalists has not.

      It is fitting that during the holiday season BJASC hosts its scholarship reception. You see we get a chance to give too. And every year we seek out the best and brightest and give scholarships to some of the most deserving African American students that have demonstrated exemplary talent and hold great promise.

      This year’s scholarship recipients were recognized during the 29th Annual BJASC Scholarship reception at the historic Wilfandel House in Los Angeles.  They are: Harry Wellington Gore, California State University, Northridge; Elijah Bradley Harris, III, California State University Long Beach; Leah Nicole Uko, University of California, Riverside, and Ashley Michelle Williams, University of Southern California.

      They are bright lights, true and accomplished young journalists who have a great future ahead of them. Their drive and passion for telling stories of the human experience is unparalleled. They have been relentless in their pursuit of becoming journalists despite the numerous personal and financial challenges they have faced.  As a community, they are scholarship recipients you can be optimistically proud of. They will be a success. So remember them. They will be coming to a media outlet near you in the not so distant future.

      It may seem perfunctory that we give scholarships from year to year, 29 years to be exact. But it’s not. It is the highlight of BJASC’s year and it defines who they are.

      Their founding members created BJASC to provide employment opportunity information for black journalists and to help improve the coverage of African Americans in Southern California. But they also knew it was imperative to pay it forward by giving back. The collective knowledge they gained in their various newsrooms, contacts and resources were a virtual brain trust of information that had to be shared with the next generation of young journalists as a legacy of their past and a link to the future.

      BJASC has helped to educate and train hundreds of high school and college students pursuing a career in journalism. It is a distinction that makes them incredibly proud. But what adds to that pride and sense of accomplishment is that they have given $100,000 in scholarships with this year’s awardees.  And they have done this consistently for 29 years without missing a year to help students purse their dreams. Today many former scholarship recipients grace television screens and don bylines in countless media outlets throughout the nation. I bet you didn’t know that.

      Yes this has been a difficult year for us all. But we made it. And we gave despite the challenges this economy has presented.  And BJASC has given too when resources were low yet hope remained high. But the real gift is the student who dreams of carrying the torch and telling the stories that reflect our reality and characterize our culture in an industry that is morphing into something so different than the industry of our founders.

      Once again, BJASC has paid it forward by investing in the lives of four amazing young people. It is an investment in their future as well as ours. The holiday season may be ephemeral, but the season for giving to help the next generation of young journalist is perennial. I’d like to encourage you to visit www.bjasc.org and find out how you can invest in the future, your future, today. (If you have comments about Veronica’s View, email them to vsview@yahoo.com)###