Washington
NBA President Ashley L. Upkins to Reflect on Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. at Feb. 24 Forum with Congressman James E. Clyburn
WASHINGTON, D.C. —National Bar Association (NBA) President Ashley L. Upkins will reflect on the life and legacy of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. during the upcoming national virtual forum, “Leading with Credibility in a Fractured Media World,” taking place February 24, 2026, from 10:30 - 11:30 AM ET via Zoom.
The event will feature a fireside conversation with Congressman James E. Clyburn (D-SC) and podcast host Michael Zeldin, and is hosted by CommPro, Capitol Communicator, and the Diversity Action Alliance. President Upkins will deliver welcome remarks, using the moment to reflect on Rev. Jackson’s enduring influence on American civic leadership and the legal community.
Rev. Jackson, who recently passed away, was a towering architect of modern civil rights - marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., founding Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition, expanding Black voter registration nationwide, and reshaping coalition politics through his historic presidential campaigns. His life traced a remarkable American arc: from standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in 1968 to witnessing historic political milestones decades later.
“As we gather to discuss credibility, leadership, and trust, we do so in the shadow of giants,” said President Ashley L. Upkins. “Rev. Jesse Jackson showed us that credibility is not built in comfort; it is forged in courage. He organized, negotiated, and demanded justice long before it was popular or politically safe. The National Bar Association’s mission has always aligned with that spirit.”
The February 24 conversation centers on Congressman Clyburn’s newly released book, The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation, which chronicles the first eight Black South Carolinians elected to Congress during Reconstruction. The book examines how credibility, trust, and political participation have evolved themes that resonate deeply in today’s climate of declining public trust and heightened media scrutiny.
Congressman Clyburn will reflect on sustaining leadership over decades of political transformation and the increasing complexity of communicating in a fractured media environment.
For the National Bar Association, founded in 1925 as the nation’s oldest and largest network of Black legal professionals, the conversation is particularly timely. The organization has long stood at the intersection of law, civil rights, and public accountability. Its members have supported voting rights initiatives, litigated civil rights cases, expanded access to justice, and strengthened democratic participation; causes central to Rev. Jackson’s life’s work.
“Rev. Jackson believed that progress requires participation,” President Upkins added. “As lawyers, as leaders, and as communicators, we carry forward that responsibility to defend constitutional principles, to protect access to justice, and to lead with clarity even when the noise is loud.”
The event will focus on leadership lessons and credibility challenges facing communicators today, not partisan politics, and will provide practical insights for navigating trust in modern public discourse.
Event Details:
February 24, 2026
10:30 - 11:30 AM ET
Register at https://www.comm pro.biz/events/leading-with-credi bility-in-a-fractured-media-world.
New York
Trump family business files for trademark rights on any airports using the president’s name
NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump family company has filed to trademark the use of the president’s name on airports but says it doesn’t plan on charging a fee — at least for a proposed renaming of one near his Florida home.
Applications filed by the Trump Organization with the federal trademark office are seeking exclusive rights to use the president’s name on airports and dozens of related things found there, from buses shuttling passengers to umbrellas and travel bags to flight suits. The filings come amid debate in Florida over a state bill to name the Palm Beach airport after Trump and a dispute over funding of a tunnel between New
York and New Jersey that is tied up with proposals that both it and the Dulles International Airport in Virginia bear his name.
The Trump Organization said that the applications were triggered by the Florida bill and that it didn’t seek any profit — only protection against “bad actors” given that the Trump name is the “most infringed trademark in the world.”
“To be clear, the President and his family will not receive any royalty, licensing fee, or financial consideration whatsoever from the proposed airport renaming,” the company said it in a statement, referring to what is now called the Palm Beach International Airport near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
The company didn’t respond immediately when asked if it would charge royalties for the use of the name at other airports in the future, or on merchandise listed for protection in the filings.
Josh Gerben, a trademark lawyer who uncovered the filings over the weekend, said the applications were the first of their kind he’s ever seen.
“While presidents and public officials have had landmarks named in their honor, a sitting president’s private company has never in the history of the United States sought trademark rights in advance of such naming,” Gerben wrote on his blog. “I should be very clear: these are trademark filings that are completely unprecedented.”
The applications filed by a family company unit called DTTM Operations with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are for the use of three names — President Donald J. Trump International Airport, Donald J. Trump International Airport and DJT.
The family has been on a branding spree in the past year, putting its name on towers, golf resorts and residential developments in Dubai, India, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. The company has also been selling Trump branded electric guitars, bibles and sneakers, ventures that also fall under the DTTM unit.
In response to criticism that he and his family are profiting off the presidency, Trump has said that his business is held in trust by his sons and that he has no day-to-day involvement in the company.
NBA President Ashley L. Upkins to Reflect on Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. at Feb. 24 Forum with Congressman James E. Clyburn
WASHINGTON, D.C. —National Bar Association (NBA) President Ashley L. Upkins will reflect on the life and legacy of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. during the upcoming national virtual forum, “Leading with Credibility in a Fractured Media World,” taking place February 24, 2026, from 10:30 - 11:30 AM ET via Zoom.
The event will feature a fireside conversation with Congressman James E. Clyburn (D-SC) and podcast host Michael Zeldin, and is hosted by CommPro, Capitol Communicator, and the Diversity Action Alliance. President Upkins will deliver welcome remarks, using the moment to reflect on Rev. Jackson’s enduring influence on American civic leadership and the legal community.
Rev. Jackson, who recently passed away, was a towering architect of modern civil rights - marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., founding Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition, expanding Black voter registration nationwide, and reshaping coalition politics through his historic presidential campaigns. His life traced a remarkable American arc: from standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in 1968 to witnessing historic political milestones decades later.
“As we gather to discuss credibility, leadership, and trust, we do so in the shadow of giants,” said President Ashley L. Upkins. “Rev. Jesse Jackson showed us that credibility is not built in comfort; it is forged in courage. He organized, negotiated, and demanded justice long before it was popular or politically safe. The National Bar Association’s mission has always aligned with that spirit.”
The February 24 conversation centers on Congressman Clyburn’s newly released book, The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation, which chronicles the first eight Black South Carolinians elected to Congress during Reconstruction. The book examines how credibility, trust, and political participation have evolved themes that resonate deeply in today’s climate of declining public trust and heightened media scrutiny.
Congressman Clyburn will reflect on sustaining leadership over decades of political transformation and the increasing complexity of communicating in a fractured media environment.
For the National Bar Association, founded in 1925 as the nation’s oldest and largest network of Black legal professionals, the conversation is particularly timely. The organization has long stood at the intersection of law, civil rights, and public accountability. Its members have supported voting rights initiatives, litigated civil rights cases, expanded access to justice, and strengthened democratic participation; causes central to Rev. Jackson’s life’s work.
“Rev. Jackson believed that progress requires participation,” President Upkins added. “As lawyers, as leaders, and as communicators, we carry forward that responsibility to defend constitutional principles, to protect access to justice, and to lead with clarity even when the noise is loud.”
The event will focus on leadership lessons and credibility challenges facing communicators today, not partisan politics, and will provide practical insights for navigating trust in modern public discourse.
Event Details:
February 24, 2026
10:30 - 11:30 AM ET
Register at https://www.comm pro.biz/events/leading-with-credi bility-in-a-fractured-media-world.
New York
Trump family business files for trademark rights on any airports using the president’s name
NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump family company has filed to trademark the use of the president’s name on airports but says it doesn’t plan on charging a fee — at least for a proposed renaming of one near his Florida home.
Applications filed by the Trump Organization with the federal trademark office are seeking exclusive rights to use the president’s name on airports and dozens of related things found there, from buses shuttling passengers to umbrellas and travel bags to flight suits. The filings come amid debate in Florida over a state bill to name the Palm Beach airport after Trump and a dispute over funding of a tunnel between New
York and New Jersey that is tied up with proposals that both it and the Dulles International Airport in Virginia bear his name.
The Trump Organization said that the applications were triggered by the Florida bill and that it didn’t seek any profit — only protection against “bad actors” given that the Trump name is the “most infringed trademark in the world.”
“To be clear, the President and his family will not receive any royalty, licensing fee, or financial consideration whatsoever from the proposed airport renaming,” the company said it in a statement, referring to what is now called the Palm Beach International Airport near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
The company didn’t respond immediately when asked if it would charge royalties for the use of the name at other airports in the future, or on merchandise listed for protection in the filings.
Josh Gerben, a trademark lawyer who uncovered the filings over the weekend, said the applications were the first of their kind he’s ever seen.
“While presidents and public officials have had landmarks named in their honor, a sitting president’s private company has never in the history of the United States sought trademark rights in advance of such naming,” Gerben wrote on his blog. “I should be very clear: these are trademark filings that are completely unprecedented.”
The applications filed by a family company unit called DTTM Operations with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are for the use of three names — President Donald J. Trump International Airport, Donald J. Trump International Airport and DJT.
The family has been on a branding spree in the past year, putting its name on towers, golf resorts and residential developments in Dubai, India, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. The company has also been selling Trump branded electric guitars, bibles and sneakers, ventures that also fall under the DTTM unit.
In response to criticism that he and his family are profiting off the presidency, Trump has said that his business is held in trust by his sons and that he has no day-to-day involvement in the company.
