Toyota Focuses on Journalism's Next Generation at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Annual Convention

NEW YORK, Aug. 03, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Underscoring Toyota's commitment to education, the next generation of Latino journalists will be the focus of the global automaker's participation in the joint annual convention of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists. The event, which will take place August 3-7, 2016 at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington D.C., is expected to draw more than 3,000 journalists of color in the largest such gathering since 2008.

Toyota's Hispanic Business Strategy Group (HBSG) will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the world's most popular car, the Corolla, at the convention. Toyota will hold a special Student Reception at its booth, where drivers will be invited to illustrate their Corolla experiences on a canvas-wrapped Corolla and enter raffles to win an iPad Air. During the special Student Reception, Toyota will also raffle off a MacBook Air. The Corolla is the top selling vehicle among U.S. Hispanics, while Toyota has been Latino motorists' favorite brand since 2004.

Toyota's participation at the convention also includes sponsorship of a new event to benefit the NAHJ's Scholarship Fund. The NAHJ El Barrio Benefit Concert will be a star-studded evening gala featuring headliner Latino performers, including Raquel Sofia and Jason Cerda, and hosted by plus-sized supermodel Denise Bidot and "Gotham" star J.W. Cortes. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Scholarship Fund, which this year is helping 29 students study journalism of all types at top colleges and universities across the country and Puerto Rico.

Toyota additionally continues as a sponsor of the NAHJ Hall of Fame and Honors Luncheon, which recognizes the achievements and contributions of prominent Hispanic journalists. This year's honorees include Zita Arocha (Borderzine), Hugo Balta (ESPN), Veronica Villafane (MediaMoves.com), and posthumously, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Robert Montemayor.

"Toyota wholeheartedly believes that education is the underpinning of progress for Hispanics, and that Hispanic journalists play a crucial role in both informing the Latino community and advocating for it," remarked Patricia Salas Pineda, group vice president of Toyota's Hispanic Business Strategy Group. "We're proud to support the NAHJ and its efforts to encourage the next generation of journalists to ensure that diverse viewpoints, voices and ideas are reflected in 21st century media."

"Toyota has been NAHJ's steadfast ally through the years," commented NAHJ President Mekahlo Medina. "We're pleased and grateful to again have their generous support, particularly for our debut concert to benefit out Scholarship Fund."

The NAHJ and NABJ are the nation's two largest minority journalist organizations. This year's joint convention cements three years of partnership between the two organizations, and comes after 2008's Unity: Journalists of Color convention in Chicago, which gathered 6,500 minority journalists representing a diverse array of groups.

For more information about the convention, please visit: http://www.nabjnahj.com.

About Toyota 
Toyota TM, the world's top automaker and creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we've built more than 25 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 42,000 people (more than 33,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.67 million cars and trucks (more than 2.35 million in the U.S.) in 2014 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today.

About The National Association of Hispanic Journalists: 
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is dedicated to the recognition and professional advancements of Hispanics in the news industry. Established in April 1984, NAHJ created a national voice and unified vision for all Hispanic journalists. For additional information, please visit, www.nahj.org.