By Danielle Reid
Danica Samuel
If you’re attending the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention, you prepare everything in advance: business cards are made, resumes are printed, and elevator pitches are rehearsed. And, you dress very much to impress. For five days in a hotel in Chicago’s skyscraper-filled Loop business district, over 3,600 members of the NABJ were dressed to perfection and the air was sweet with perfume. Styles ranged from sharp and sophisticated to bold, bright pops of colour reflecting the energy of the blazing Chicago heat.
The fashion element of NABJ made it a more than familiar environment for Mary Ann Shadd Cary Fellowship recipient Danica Samuel. Chosen as one of seven mid-career journalists, Samuel is the founder, writer and producer of Vainqueur magazine, a digital platform created to be an all-encompassing destination for Canadian fashion. Two days into the convention, Samuel is talking about how she’s made a deliberate effort to showcase that through her clothing. Each day, she paid homage to different Canadian designers and brands by wearing their pieces, and later spotlighting them on social media.
“I do want to be seen wearing designers that come from Canada because we have such phenomenal designers. It’s showing that it’s cool…that we can hold these designers at par with other designers out there,” she said.
With time to acclimate and attend a handful of sessions, workshops and mixers, Samuel used the word “illuminating” to describe all she had witnessed.
“That’s what I texted my mom and my sister and my dad just now,” she said, “I’ve been empowered. My conversations have been so intentional. It’s been electrifying.”
She described the welcoming atmosphere of rooms filled with people who looked like and shared similar perspectives to her.
She says, “It’s the smiles, it’s the warmth. It’s the ability to be in proximity to someone that you would think, ‘Oh, they would never get my email.’”
This opportunity for professional connections with people willing to share their time and expertise has been especially impactful for Samuel. She recalled an experience earlier that day where she had the opportunity to meet and speak with Monica Drake, deputy managing editor at The New York Times. “She is someone that I was so excited to meet just to say, ‘I love you.’ She is someone who always inspired me [on] how to tell stories in a more immersive way,” Samuel said.
To prepare for meeting key figures in the industry, Samuel said she used journaling to be clear on her intentions for the four-day event. “I wrote down my elevator pitch. I wrote down the things I understood about my audience and what I want to do [with Vainqueur],” she said.
She also said she reflected on crucial questions like, “How do I want to show up?” and “What is the most important thing I want people to know and understand about me?” to help her remain clear on her networking goals at NABJ.
For future NABJ attendees, Samuel’s advice is simple but an all-important reminder, “Remain focused.”
