Tamara N. Harrell_Media: 2016 NUL CONFERENCE DAY1

2016 National Urban League Conference

On August 3 - 6, 2016, the National Urban League will convene for its annual conference at the Baltimore Convention Center . The organization is holding the conference in Baltimore to show its support by [bringing] economic impact to the city after last year's riots over Freddie Gray's death resulted in millions of dollars in economic loss.

The past few years have been tumultuous for the Black community over the past year with increased incidents of police brutality and killings, high unemployment rates, spikes in Black-on-Black crimes in Baltimore and Chicago. Baltimore's murder rate continues to soar. In response to these ills, this year's conference theme is "Save Our Cities" and "I Am Empowered".

The conference will provide solutions concerning these issues and others including the upcoming presidential election, employment, housing, health, wellness and entrepreneurship. Workshops include "State of Health and Wealth in Black America", "African Americans and Untapped Careers in Energy and Transportation" and "Be Your Own Boss - Succeeding in Entrepreneurship".

Vice President-elect Tim Kaine was the keynote speaker. Hilary Clinton spoke at the National Association of Black Journalists conference, which also was held today. This year's NABJ conference was major because it partnered with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

Al Sharpton and other prominent leaders will be part of a forum [this evening]. I won't be attending. These issues are serious, hot-button issues and to have a conference of this magnitude come to Baltimore, I was not going to miss this opportunity. I attended the ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday morning and will attend Saturday's entrepreneurship sessions.

In addition to prominent civic and business leaders attending, R&B singer Kelly Price and Hip Hop artist MC Lyte will provide entertainment.

I got to the Convention Center at least an hour early. Yay. My time is getting better. When I entered the Convention Center, I was greeted by large speakers and upbeat R&B music. I was surprised. I thought they were going to be playing "conference" or "elevator music". But, I guess it was appropriate. It was a conference discussing urban issues. Why not play urban music? Whatever the reason for the choice of music, I became more excited about the conference and it's purpose and my small part in it.

PRE-RIBBON CUTTING

There was a lot of energy at the media pit. A small group of people had arrived. Others were behind us registering for the conference. Media professionals were walking back and forth, talking to each other, coordinating things. One woman had a clip board in hand. She was doing her thing.

Because I like fashion, I looked at what everyone was wearing. Both the women and men were well- dressed. The woman with the clip board wore a pretty dress with splashes of colors on it like paint splashed on a canvas. That was a trend for 2016. Plus, the top of the dress was sleeveless - perfect for the summer and professional enough to be worn at a conference.

Their attire showed me even working behind the scenes, media professionals have to be, or should be impeccably dressed, or at least well-dressed. Thankfully, as a photographer, I have more freedom in how I can dress: casual, business casual or professional. Most female photographers wear all black.
Whatever the attire, photographers are advised to wear comfortable clothes because sometimes we have to sit on the ground or floor, like one man, to take pictures.

While we waited for Marc Muriel, President of the National Urban League, and the rest of the ribbon-cutting group to arrive, I walked around to take pictures. I took pictures I thought might be included in the NUL's marketing materials.

After a few minutes of taking pictures, I went back to the media section. I realized I was standing next to someone I watch on television everyday - Pat Warren, political reporter for WJZ-13 Baltimore. I was so taken aback that I stepped away to keep her from hearing me squeal and praise God. Since more people were around by now, I had to be undercover and quickly compose myself..

After calming down, I began to inconspicuously take her picture. I wanted to talk to her but she was talking to a photographer. I didn't want to miss and important shot, so, I left her alone. I was content with the pictures I took of her.

Pat Warren, political reporter for WJZ-13 Baltimore, holding the microphone.

The top of Pat Warren's head. 😊

Another picture of Pat Warren.

I now have a slight interest in being a videographer too. It" looks" easy.

More people started to arrive and they started to walk to the front of the line. I moved up with them. I got to the Convention Center early and I wasn't going to be pushed to the back of the line.

While waiting, I overheard a couple of interesting conversations. A photographer was telling another [photographer] that he was trying to figure out where to stand to take the best picture of one of the men we were waiting for. The man was left- or right-handed and signs with a certain hand. That was a cool photography tip. I hadn't read that. Photography is not only about taking pictures, but it's about anticipating the best shot and doing whatever you have to do to get it, whether it means adjusting where you're standing or sitting on the floor. I'm going to be more cognizant of those things.

After waiting several minutes, some of us began to get impatient. Shortly after, however, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake walked behind the ribbon. I got excited again. For a while, I wanted a picture of her before she left office. Today was the perfect opportunity, especially in light of her recent appointment as Secretary of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). So, it's a double blessing. I finally took some pictures of the Mayor, and at a ribbon-cutting. I want to add as many ribbon-cutting ceremonies to my portfolio as possible. They are very important to communities. It means some kind of growth, usually economic, is taken or will take place.

As usual, she was impeccably dressed. The second conversation I overheard was about her eyes. A young lady said Rawlings-Blake's eyes always look flawless and she wanted to ask the Mayor who does them. I agree. I liked the blue dress suit she wore, but I was feeling her stiletto, patent leather Baby Jane shoes. She was voted by Vogue magazine as one one of the best dressed mayors, and today, she didn't disappoint.

The crowd waited several more minutes while the group took pictures. She smiled graciously for the camera and danced to the music. I guess to occupy herself. Some of her poses seemed automatic. It must get tiring to attend all of those events and pose for the camera on demand.

Finally, someone spotted Morial coming down the escalator. I thought, Uh, oh. The moment had arrived. For years, I've seen him on television and print media outlets commenting on major events that affected the African-American community. I also remember when was Mayor of New Orleans several years ago. I was finally going to see him in person and add those pictures to my portfolio.

He walked to the center of the doorway, behind the ribbon and greeted the audience. He said words to Mayor Rawlings-Blake. She said words in return. Then he cut the ribbon.

Unfortunately, I didn't get the shot. Of all the moments... The camera on my Kindle would not work. So, I quickly switched to the video, but there was no sound. I could not believe it! There was sound when I tested it a few days before. Although I was upset, and despite the technical glitches, I continued video recording the ribbon cutting. Hopefully, a video or audio editor can fix the sound.

After all the waiting, the ceremony lasted less than 15 minutes. That what happens at these events. A lot of preparation is involved. On the day of the event, there is a lot of waiting and anticipation, and then it's over.

Next, it was time to enter the exhibit hall. The media were allowed to go first. I hesitated at first. What? I wanted to go, but all these reasons why I couldn't raced through my mind. I couldn't do that. I don't have a media pass. I'm just a media student, and my identification card isn't even activated. What if they stop me? Then I quickly calmed down and thought if they ask for a media pass or some kind of proof, tell them I am a freelancer and a college student. Besides, he said nothing about needing a media pass. He said media can go first. So, I did - with no problem.

That was so cool. I experienced first-hand the preferential access the media get. Why not? I keep hearing about how journalism is a service. All the work that goes into creating stories takes a lot of energy. Making sure your report is accurate, speaking to several people to get one good quote, and telling stories with brevity and correctness can take a great deal of effort, not to mention reporting stories in inclement weather conditions. And, after all of that is done, there's editing, which I believe is the real work. Yes, journalism is indeed a service.

I hadn't planned on staying long today. I did a quick run-through of the exhibit hall and took a few pictures. Nothing was going on. They were still setting up. Some small business vendors were also setting up.

I wish I could attend the main events. I would love to see MC Lyte and Kelly Price. However, I'm resting and preparing to work hard on Saturday to cover my favorite subject - entrepreneurship.

In conclusion, this morning was an exciting experience, with a first-hand look at behind the scenes media preparation and coordination. I'm grateful.