Hurricane Katrina exposed a deep racial divide in this country. More than two-thirds of African-Americans said that if the victims left behind had been White, the federal response would have been quicker. By an even larger margin, more than three-fourths of Whites said race played no part in the delayed response. Unfortunately, many Whites – not all – live in what Dr. Joseph Lowery calls the 51st state – the state of denial.

Not only must we worry about this 51st state, we should be concerned about the 4th Estate – the news media. While NNPA-member newspapers were publishing stories about Black churches and ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things to help their brothers and sisters, the White-owned media was obsessed with stories about the limited number of victims looting while ignoring the massive looting that was taking place at the gas pump.

You saw two almost identical photos, one of Blacks in chest-high water and one of Whites. The African-Americans were described in the cutline as “looters.” Whites, on the other hand, were said to be “finding” food in abandoned grocery stores.

Do not underestimate the power of language and pictures.

It becomes easier to dismiss the plight of the needy when labels can be hung on them. Some journalists were quick to refer to those left behind as “refugees.” One cannot be a refugee in his or her own land. No, they do not live in the Third World just because they have lost their worldly goods.

I am proud to be a journalist but I am not proud of how my profession has performed its duties. The White-owned news media has lost much of its credibility because it has adopted the language of the Far Right. Many people are confused about affirmative action because the media talks about race-based or gender-based preferences. Affirmative action is not race- or gender based. Historically Black Colleges and Universities don’t admit students based on their race. My alma mater – Knoxville College – is an HBCU but it doesn’t admit students because they are Black. Spelman, an all-female college in Atlanta, doesn’t accept students based on their gender. The students must be qualified. And so it is with affirmative action.

Given these assaults on the poor, affirmative action and programs designed to help lift people out of poverty, the need for an independent Black Press is greater than ever. As we have seen, we can’t rely on anyone else to tell our story. Our Black media, like other institutions in our community, are under attack. We’ve already lost Motown, we lost Johnson Hair products in Chicago, BET sold out to Viacom, Time, Inc. has purchased Essence and BlackVoices.com.

And it’s going to get worse.

Over the next 50 years, the U.S. population is going to grow by 50 percent – 90 percent of that growth will be among people of color. Only 7 percent of that growth will be among Whites. That means – and let’s be very clear about this – the only way for media giants to grow will be by buying Black-owned companies.

This is the time to make our Black media stronger so that we can continue to tell our stories. The motto of the first Black newspaper in 1827 – Freedom’s Journal – is just as relevant today as it was 178 years ago: “We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us.”

Thank you.