Melanie Burney to be Honored by New Jersey State Conference NAACP’s WIN
Photo courtesy of New Jersey State Conference NAACP
BY CLYDE HUGHES | AC JosepH Media
TRENTON – South Jersey’s Melanie Burney, a veteran reporter with The Philadelphia Inquirer, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Mary Ann Shadd Cary Award for Journalism and Storytelling by the New Jersey State Conference Women in NAACP (WIN).
Burney, a graduate of Rowan University and a longtime member of the National Association of Black Journalists, will receive the award during the New Jersey State Conference NAACP Convention at the Westin Princeton in Princeton on Friday, Oct. 2.
“As a journalist, I’ve always believed in the power of stories — to inform, to give voice to people and communities, to hold institutions accountable and, sometimes hopefully, to make a difference,” Burney said in a message on Facebook Thursday.
“That makes receiving an award named for Mary Ann Shadd Cary especially meaningful. She was a trailblazing journalist, educator and abolitionist who understood long before many others that telling our own stories matters. As the first Black woman newspaper publisher in North America, she helped pave the way for generations of Black journalists like me who followed.”
Burney said the work of Black journalists today matters more than ever and comes at a critical time.
“Our voices matter,” Burney said. “The stories we tell matter. That responsibility is not lost on me. I’m humbled to have my work connected, even in a small way, to Mary Ann Shadd Cary’s remarkable legacy. It inspires me to keep doing the work.”
Burney has been with The Inquirer since 2000, making her one of the newsroom’s most experienced voices on education. Before joining the paper, she spent 14 years with the Associated Press, serving as both a news correspondent and reporter in New Jersey and Philadelphia.
In addition to being an alumna of Rowan University, she is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Burney brings a local lens to statewide and national education debates, often highlighting the experiences of students, teachers, and families across the region.
Women in the NAACP (W.I.N.) is an official standing committee of the NAACP dedicated to strengthening the leadership role of women within the organization and advancing advocacy on issues affecting women, children, and families.
The New Jersey State Conference NAACP Convention is set for Oct. 2-4 at the Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village, 201 Village Boulevard in Printon. The convention includes the Economic Summit, W.I.N. Gala, Hall of Fame events, and additional programming throughout the weekend.
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