The NNPA Executive Committee has unanimously nominated Claude Cummings Jr., President of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), to receive the NNPA 2025 National Leadership Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership and achievements on behalf of communications workers nationwide.

The NNPA Board of Directors, representing 250 African American publishers across the country, will honor Cummings at the NNPA 2025 National Leadership Awards Reception, themed Saluting Excellence in Leadership. The event will take place on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at the Conrad Hilton Hotel, 950 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., during the week of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference (ALC).

Each year, NNPA presents its national leadership awards to individuals who have earned national recognition for contributions that advance and uplift communities in their respective fields. Cummings’ leadership of more than 700,000 communications workers stands as a remarkable achievement, appreciated by the 50 million African Americans and others who continue to advocate for equality and justice.

For 198 years, the Black Press has been the trusted voice of Black America, chronicling stories from a distinctly Black perspective. Today, the NNPA, as the trade association of the Black Press, serves as a vital repository of Black history unmatched by any other media organization. Through its newswire, BlackPressUSA.com, social media platforms, and livestreams, NNPA reaches more than 50 million weekly newspaper readers and 5 million monthly digital viewers—competing directly with AP, Reuters, and other mainstream outlets while producing the most original content on issues affecting African Americans.

A Message from CWA President Claude Cummings Jr.

Just weeks after leading the CWA’s 80th Convention, themed One Union, One Vision: CWA United, Cummings reflected on the values that unite workers across industries. He emphasized that while union members may not always agree on every issue, they remain bound by a shared commitment to family, community, prosperity, justice, and security for all—not just the privileged few.

Cummings cautioned that these values are increasingly under threat from a new generation of wealthy elites seeking to seize control of government and undermine democracy. He expressed concern about the rapid rollback of democratic systems that have taken nearly 250 years to build, warning of the dangers of authoritarianism.

In his message, Cummings reaffirmed his promise never to back down from a fight on behalf of workers, declaring that despite growing challenges, “labor, united, can never be defeated.” He highlighted the overwhelming support at the convention for the resolution titled Fighting the Trump Administration’s Anti-Union Project 2025 Playbook, underscoring the union’s resolve to resist corporate overreach and political attacks on worker rights.

He further stated that union members and leaders alike must stand firm against efforts to strip away voting rights, worker protections, and human rights. Cummings rejected the notion of appeasing bullies in power, stressing that concessions only embolden them. Instead, he called on unionists to defend democracy, dignity, and respect for workers and communities across the nation.

As the nation observed Labor Day, Cummings urged all workers to treat it as a day of action—standing together to resist the corporate takeover of American life and to ensure a future rooted in equality and justice.