By Kamira LaNay
Correspondent
Texas Metro News
The National Association of Black Journalists recognized five journalists and media professionals during its 2026 Convention in Atlanta for work including criminal justice reporting, press freedom, investigative journalism, media strategy and Black-owned journalism.
Christina Carrega received the Angelo B. Henderson Community Service Award. Her career includes reporting for Capital B, CNN and ABC News, where she covered wrongful convictions, major trials, systemic failures and fraud investigations. Also serving for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office as their public information officer and has supported young journalists through journalism workshops.
Georgia Fort received the Ida B. Wells Award after nearly 17 years in commercial and nonprofit radio and television news. Fort is the founder of BLCK Press and was one of two reporters in the courtroom for the sentencing of Derek Chauvin. Her work has earned three Midwest Emmy Awards.
Tamia Fowlkes was named Emerging Journalist of the Year. As a public investigator for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Fowlkes reports on health care, politics, housing, disability and race. Her previous experience includes internships with The Washington Post, USA Today Network and the Wisconsin State Journal.
Chelsea G. Fuller received the Patricia L. Tobin Media Professional Award for her work in communications and media strategy. Fuller has held senior communications positions with organizations including Movement for Black Lives and TIME’S UP. Her work has focused on how issues involving race, sexual violence, Black children and police violence are covered in the media.
Karen Carter Richards received the Legacy Award for her leadership of Forward Times Publishing Company, the Houston-based Black-owned newspaper founded by her parents in 1960. As CEO and publisher, Richards has expanded the publication into a multimedia organization while continuing its weekly print edition. She also established a scholarship and youth foundation that provides educational and career opportunities to students around Greater Houston.
Kamira LaNay is a 2026 Journalism and Communications graduate of Morgan State University. She will spend the next year as a Texas Metro News Fellow.
