Organizers at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in New Orleans decided to add Omarosa Manigault at the last moment to the event, and other participants aren’t having it.
“The majority there don’t want her involved. It’s heavy drama — even the moderator is refusing. Everyone sees it as extremely offensive,” a source told PageSix of the change.
Originally, New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones was scheduled to moderate a panel on Friday on police brutality. The panel was supposed to feature Valerie Castile, Sandra Sterling, and the New Yorker’s Jelani Cobb. However, both Hannah-Jones and Cobb pulled out, with Bounce TV’s Ed Gordon set to take over as moderator.
Cobb later told PageSix that the problem “wasn’t simply the addition of Omarosa. It was that she was added at the eleventh hour and it was unclear whether we would be able to discuss substantive issues regarding the administration and its policing policies. Also, the panel was very disorganized, and basic things like format were not clear.”
Omarosa has not made herself any friends in the Black community for her continuing, outspoken support of President Donald Trump and his policies and rhetoric, so it’s little wonder that her inclusion, especially at the last minute, has caused a stir.