“There should be room to talk about these pioneers that people can look up to in Canadian journalism,” says David Thurton, who sits on the board of directors for the Canadian Association of Black Journalists (CABJ). “So that people like me… and others can know that we’ve been here all along [and] we have been part of the way the media functioned.”

As a national association, the CABJ is committed to supporting Black journalists across the country. B.C.-based journalists can currently attend events online; they are also invited to the upcoming RISE Conference in July.

An ongoing fight

Based in Ottawa, Thurton is currently a senior reporter for CBC’s parliamentary bureau. He is also a graduate of the journalism program at Ryerson University (now known as Toronto Metropolitan University) – the birthplace of CABJ in 1996.

“It was a group of Black journalists on the media scene in Toronto, who wanted to start an organization that was similar to what you have in the United States,” he adds, referring to the historic National Association of Black Journalists across the southern border.

Composed of young and senior journalists, CABJ’s original goal was to confront inequalities within Canadian journalism. These issues included the lack of diversity in newsrooms and lack of racialized journalists in upper management. For Thurton, who joined CABJ’s board in 2019, Black and racialized journalists continue to face the same challenges.

“The media landscape has very much changed, but the work we’re doing is very much still the same, almost 30 years later,” he says.

Noting how their work is often done at the “side of the table,” alongside members’ full-time jobs, Thurton cites long hours, tiring work and colleagues leaving the profession as challenges to the organization’s sustainability. With the support of Foundation for Black Communities, they were recently able to hire a paid executive director, Jennifer Parent, on a part-time basis.

“The challenge for our organization and other organizations that represent racialized journalists is to keep the momentum,” he adds. “To make sure people don’t get burnout and always make sure that you’re bringing in new blood.”

A national expansion

Alongside the organization’s aim for sustainability, they are also working to further expand their reach across the nation. Thurton notes that CABJ’s historical focus on the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is not surprising, given the city’s presence of big media outlets and higher percentage of Black journalists compared to other regions.

“We have a mandate and a responsibility to as much as possible represent the country and to do outreach to racialized and Black journalists throughout the country,” he says of the organization’s plans.

Thurton first joined CABJ in 2017 while working as a journalist in Alberta’s Fort McMurray – a time when the organization’s commitment to national outreach was already present. With former directors based outside of Ontario, such as Vancouver journalist Nadia Tchoumi (then Stewart) and Halifax-based Brian Daly, who remains on the organization’s board of directors, CABJ developed initiatives outside of the GTA.

This includes J-School Noire, a program for young journalists in high school that was pioneered in Halifax, then expanded both virtually and into other physical locations. Thurton points to their RISE National Conference as another way to connect racialized journalists across the country.

“As our organization expands and we grow and build our financial base, it’s a hope that we could certainly host a lot more in person on the ground programs,” Thurton adds.

For him, this activism doesn’t just benefit the Black community; an inclusive society benefits all Canadians. In fact, Thurton notes how CABJ’s early events were attended by other racialized folks and white people, emphasizing the organization’s commitment to allyship. Advising aspiring journalists to find mentors and build networks, Thurton encourages people to contact the CABJ for mentorship opportunities.

Held in collaboration with the Canadian Journalists of Colour, the 2025 RISE Conference will have an in-person portion at the Globe and Mail Centre (Toronto, July 11) and an online portion (July 12).

For more information, see www.cabj.news