Kamala Harris In Talks With NABJ For Virtual Event

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and Vice President Kamala Harris are currently in talks to host a virtual event according to the organization. The development comes after the 2024 presidential candidate was unable to attend the annual convention taking place in Chicago this week where a disastrous appearance was made by former President Donald Trump.

“NABJ is currently in conversation with the Harris for President campaign team to schedule a Q&A session between Vice President Harris and NABJ, either in person or virtually, at some point in September 2024,” explained an updated statement from NABJ President Ken Lemon issued on Wednesday (July 31).

Traditionally, NABJ invites politicians running for president to the event, and the organization says to have been communicating with both the Democratic and Republican parties since January.

“It has always been our policy to ensure that candidates know that an invitation is not an endorsement. We also agreed that while this race is much different — and contentious — so are the consequences,” detailed Lemon in the original memo.

NABJ explains that Harris’ team confirmed she was unable to attend in person or virtually at the time. Those claims, however, have been called into question. According to The Grio White House Correspondent April Ryan, Ken Lemon President of NABJ, and Drew Berry Executive Director of the NABJ told the Harris camp that the VP “needed” to be in Chicago in person for the convention, shutting down any other options.

Per Ryan’s reporting, NABJ only shifted to the virtual town hall idea after information regarding the entire ordeal became public and as of Tuesday afternoon, Harris’ team moved on after being told “no” by NABJ leadership.

On Monday, Trump was officially announced that he was attending NABJ to participate in a panel, causing controversy within the organization. Still, the event went on, bringing the former president to Chicago on Wednesday for a chaotic conversation with three reporters, Kadia Goba of Semafor, Rachel Scott of ABC News, and Harris Faulkner of Fox News.

Starting late and ending early, Trump used his brief time on stage to question VP Harris’ race and ethnicity. According to Axios, the delay was caused by Trump refusing to allow himself to be fact-checked live. Lemon says the technical glitches were “resolved very quickly,” detailing how he was prepared to make a statement on the absence of Trump as the Republican presidential candidate walked on stage.

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung informed Axios on Friday that they waited “for close to 40 minutes while audio/technical issues were fixed by NABJ.” The outlet notes that audio issues were apparent during the event.