Persistent attacks on Black journalists and the steady decline of Black media underscore a crucial truth: the survival of Black media depends on investment from Black people. For generations, we’ve protected our own when institutions failed us — and this moment is no different.
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Onyx Impact has launched a half‑million‑dollar campaign to help safeguard the future of Black media infrastructure. Inspired by the recent arrests of journalist Georgia Fort, vice president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), per Dallas Weekly, and Don Lemon, former CNN host and host of “The Don Lemon Show,” the nonprofit launched an additional push to kick off Black History month with a specific effort in partnership with NABJ to match up to $100K in funds raised.
The initiative, “Invest in Black Media,” is a year-long campaign aimed at strengthening Black journalism across print, broadcast, and digital storytelling. Onyx Impact plans to invest $500,000 in 2026 to bolster the capacity and long-term sustainability of Black media organizations. This builds on more than $1 million the organization has already invested in Black media over the past two years.
The Root caught up with Onyx Impact founder and CEO, Esosa Osa, who insists there’s no time to wait — Black communities need to show up now to protect and strengthen the media that represents them.
“The erasure of Black history and progress is an emergency,” Osa told The Root. “Our Blackout Report released last year documented over 15,000 attempts in 2025 alone to erase or distort Black opportunity. We’re seeing the best teams and outlets built to cover our communities be dismantled. This campaign is about refusing to let anyone erase our stories, or our power.”
Onyx Impact will continue its unapologetic support of Black journalists with a $100,000 commitment to NABJ’s Jubilee Fund, $100,000 to the National Newspaper Publishers Association for investigative reporting, and $75,000 to the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters’ (NABOB) Creators Mastermind program, which develops Black creators across industries.
The organization is also investing $75,000 in Archiving the Black Web (ATBW) to train students and media professionals in digital preservation, and $150,000 in its Information Integrity Lab, which pairs Black digital creators with newspapers to expand reach and ensure accurate, fact-checked coverage.
As DEI rollbacks and backlash continues to hit the Black community hard — from arrests to the loss of over 300,000 jobs for Black women — protecting Black media is nonnegotiable. In an age of AI and disinformation, Black storytellers must be empowered and safeguarded.
“This is not a one-off investment — it’s the next step in what we’ve already begun. This campaign is how we scale the effort. It’s time for the pro-democracy community to put their money where their mouth is,” Osa urged.
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