A select group of Black journalists from across the country participated in General Motors’ (No. 48 on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies list) Buick LaCrosse Driving Experience.
Journalists took a road trip, behind the wheel of a 2017 Buick LaCrosse, from Philadelphia, Pa., to Washington, D.C., on March 17. The following day, the group was given a private tour of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and then invited to an intimate dinner at Marcus, Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s restaurant located in MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
Journalists at the dinner included: Brandon I. Brooks, managing editor, Sentinel and Watts Times; Ester Davis, columnist, The Dallas Tribune; Sheryl Estrada, senior business writer, Fair360, formerly DiversityInc; award-winning journalist Ed Gordon, Bounce TV; Jarrett Hill, journalist, NBC BLK and The Hollywood Reporter; Kimberly Hines, editor-in-chief, SoulBounce; Emil Wilbekin, chief creative officer, World Of Wilbekin; Denise Rolark, chair, National Newspaper Publishers Association; Cheryl Smith, publisher, I Messenger Enterprises; and RuShawn Walters, managing editor, Howard University.
Gordon led a conversation regarding the journey from Philadelphia to D.C., and the journey of the African American community as exhibited in the museum.
“Looking at the context of where we are right now in America, it was empowering,” Hill said about the museum visit. “It was also hurtful. It was challenging. I expected it to be very emotional, but I didn’t have an emotional response. I was so overwhelmed about how much there was to take in about us.”
