Formerly NAJA, Indigenous Journalists Association changes its name at Winnipeg celebrations – CBC

Aug 15, 2023

IJA takes steps to reach international benchmarks around language

A group representing First Nations, Métis, Inuit and Native American journalists in North America recently updated its name in a move it says will make Indigenous storytellers feel welcomed.

Formerly the Native American Journalist Association (NAJA), members voted to change the organization’s name to the Indigenous Journalists Association in a 89-55 member vote at a conference hosted in Winnipeg last week.

Francine Compton, the associate director of IJA, said the move was made to match international language and to ensure all Indigenous storytellers feel welcomed.

“It means a whole lot to me, that I can now have this organization with a name where people in my own community can look at it and say, ‘That’s for me,’” said Compton, Anishinaabe from Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation, 131 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-journalists-association-1.6937231