This Week in Club History: NPC embraces controversy

July 30, 1962: The National Press Club issues its “Special Rules For Ladies” on July 30, 1962

July 30, 1984: Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, accompanied by bodyguards, addresses a sold-out, boisterous Club luncheon, maintaining his racist and anti-Semitic views. Club president John Fogarty says “I am proud to be president of an organization whose members and officers have the courage not to turn away from controversy.” Several years later, Farrakhan is banned from the Club for five years, when his bodyguards frisk reporters entering the room where he is to hold a news conference.

This Week In National Press Club History is brought to you by the History & Heritage Committee, which preserves and revitalizes the Club’s history through lobby displays, panel discussions, events and its oral history project.

For further information about the Committee and its activities, or to join the Committee, contact Gilbert Klein at [email protected].