Jesse J. Lewis Sr., founder and publisher emeritus of The Birmingham Times, will be inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Hall of Fame during the organization’s national conference and job fair, scheduled to take place in Birmingham Aug. 2-6.

Lewis, a World War II veteran, is chairman of Agency 54. He made history as the first Black Alabama Cabinet Member and the founder of the country’s first Black-owned PR and advertising agency in 1954. In 1964, he founded The Birmingham Times just after the height of the civil rights struggle in Birmingham. He has owned or been part of at least 17 different businesses during the course of his career.

The Hall of Fame Induction and Luncheon, powered by Hope Credit Union and Birmingham-based Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, will be held during the 2023 NABJ Convention & Career Fair on Aug. 4.

Also to be inducted into the NABJ Hall of Fame is Roy S. Johnson, columnist and director of content development for AL.com.

Johnson, one of this year’s NABJ convention co-chairs, writes about issues, people, policies and trends affecting residents across the state of Alabama and beyond. He is a winner of the 2021 Edward R. Murrow Award for best national podcast and is a 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist in Commentary. He was editor-in-chief of three prominent national magazines: Savoy, which he founded, as well as Men’s Fitness and the History Channel.

NABJ’s Hall of Fame pays homage to Black journalists and communicators who have made outstanding contributions to the industry.

NABJ President Dorothy Tucker said the organization is excited to honor these important individuals.

“As we gather for our annual convention, in a place that shines as a beacon of light in the fight for justice and equality, NABJ is excited to recognize some of the most courageous barrier breakers and history makers in the journalism and media industries,” Tucker said.

The Hall of Fame ceremony is just part of the National Association of Black Journalists convention, taking place in Birmingham in August. (contributed)

Others being inducted into the NABJ Hall of Fame are:

Sheila Dean Brooks, Ph.D., an accomplished entrepreneur, author, Emmy-award-winning journalist and expert in multicultural marketing, energy and utilities, public health communications and entrepreneurial education. Brooks, the founder, president and CEO of SRB Communications, has more than four decades of leadership in media and communications in Washington, D.C. She is the founder of NABJ’s Student Multimedia Projects and previously received NABJ’s Ida B. Wells Award.

Rob Parker, a pioneer in sports journalism. During his 37-year career, Parker has both broken barriers and reached back to lift up younger sports writers. Parker was named the NABJ Sports Task Force Journalist of the Year in 2018. Parker is co-host of a nightly national show with Chris Broussard called “The Odd Couple” on FOX Sports Radio. He is an analyst for MLB Network and founder and editor of MLBbro.com.

Randall Pinkston has been a witness to some of broadcast journalism’s key moments in history. During his four decades as a working journalist, Pinkston was a White House Correspondent covering President George Herbert Walker Bush. He was one of the first journalists in Tora Bora, Afghanistan, reporting on the search for Osama bin Laden. Two years later, Pinkston volunteered for service in Iraq and was in Baghdad when Saddam Hussein was executed. In Haiti, he reported on the effort to return Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. As an adjunct professor, Pinkston has shared his experience with future journalists at Columbia University, Morgan State University and other institutions.

Dave Roberts is head of NBA and Studio Production at ESPN, leading the network’s NBA and WNBA production. Roberts oversees production for all regular-season and playoff games, punctuated by the NBA and WNBA Finals, as well as studio content including NBA Countdown and NBA Today. He also leads production for First Take, the 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter, Get Up, PTI, Around The Horn, This Just In, ESPN Audio content and ESPN digital shows. In 2020, he was named to the Cablefax Diversity List, which recognizes the most influential diverse executives in the industry.

Gwen Tolbart is an Emmy-award-winning television broadcaster. She is a weather anchor and feature reporter at WTTG FOX5 in Washington, D.C., where she has impacted the community and told powerful stories for the last 21 years. Her career began in her hometown of Montreal as host of the Black Community Communications Media’s show, “Black Is.” She was the first African Canadian weather anchor on both Canada’s national “The Weather Network” and Montreal’s CTV’s CFCF-12.

Tickets for the NABJ Hall of Fame ceremony and other convention events can be purchased by registered convention attendees at NABJConvention.com. Alabama Power is among the sponsors of the NABJ Convention in Birmingham.

A version of this story originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.