National Colored Press Convention, 1880
American Press Association, 1881-1909
National Negro Press Association, 1909-1939

What was thought to be the first National Colored Press Convention, was held in Louisville, KY in August of 1880. --Source: "Notes of Current Events: The first colored Press Convention ...," The Interior Journal (Stanford, KY), 08/27/1880, p.2. 

The first organizational meeting of African American editors and publishers was held in Louisville, KY in 1881. The next two meetings, held in Washington, D.C., resulted in the formation of the National Colored Press Association. In 1887 the organization's annual meeting was again held in Louisville, the proceedings covered by the Courier Journal beginning August 9.

The organization's name was eventually changed to American Press Association (APA). John "J.Q." Adams, from Louisville, was the first president of the APA. The APA became defunct, and in 1909 the National Negro Press Association (NNPA) was organized, with its first convention held in Louisville. Members were African American editors and journalists coming together to strengthen the influence of the African American press. The Negro Business League had inspired the association, which became an affiliate member of the league.

In 1940, the National Negro Press Association was coming to an end when the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) [Black Press of America] was established in Washington, D.C.

For more see The Negro Press in the United States, by F. G. Detweiler; A History of the Black Press, by A. S. Pride & C. C. Wilson II; the National Newspaper Publishers Association website; and "Minutes of the Twenty-Ninth Annual Session of the National Negro Press Association Held in Louisville, KY, April 11-14, 1928," available in the Black Culture Collection, Micro Photo Division, Bell & Howell Co., 1972.