Opinion writing often not on syllabus: in our efforts to isolate ourselves from the newsroom, we close the door to opinion writing as a career option. (Diversity & Opinion).

When the editors at The Orlando Sentinel approached me in 1994 about filling in on the editorial board while one of the writers was on leave, nothing in my background had prepared me for that moment.

Editorial writer? The journalism program at my historically black university hadn't even offered opinion writing when I was there in the early 1980s, and I had never written an editorial in my life. In fact, I'm embarrassed to now admit, when the folks at Orlando pulled me away from editing a news story to talk, I didn't even read our editorial page.

All of my experience was on news side--reporting, copy editing, feature editing, news editing. No one had ever mentioned editorial writing as a career option.

Why not? I have a theory. For a profession that's quick to yank other people's chain, editorial writers are slow to toot their own horn. Editorial writing is a great job. We influence community thinking. We also tell policymakers how to do their jobs, and sometimes, they actually listen. I enjoy my job more than any position I've had in my nearly 18 years in the newspaper business. But in our effort to isolate ourselves from the newsroom fray as we render opinions, editorial writers have been slow in inviting in other journalists for a look at our rewarding profession.

Particularly minorities.

Just as minorities were slow to gain access to some newsroom departments and positions years ago, our numbers remain too small today in the opinion ranks. Though not all opinion writers belong to the NCEW, its membership composition illustrates the profession's diversity challenges: Out of 557 members, 26 are minorities--19 African Americans, six Hispanics, and one Native American.

Minority representation is critical because diversity of opinion is essential as editorial boards formulate positions that will influence community thinking and decision-making. Minorities bring to the debate sensibilities and insights that differ from their majority colleagues.

When the editorial board sits down to grapple with issues, as many segments of the community as possible should be reflected around the table.

In writing this piece, I did a quick--and very informal--poll of a few of my veteran black journalist friends. Their experience had been disappointingly similar to my own. Their career tracks had been in news, and their exposure to editorial writing had been limited or non-existent. One guy grew up with the son of a black newspaper columnist, so he had limited awareness of the medium. Another woman went to my college a few years after I did, and when she came through, opinion writing still wasn't on the syllabus.

Another woman, a broadcast journalist, replied through e-mail: "I can't recall ever being approached about my interest or qualifications for an editorial role in the newsroom."

The male colleague called opinion writing "the last bastion we have yet to conquer."

The responsibility for bolstering minority representation cuts both ways. In our inherent curiosity, we minority journalists need to start snooping around editorial boardrooms, just as we do school boards or city councils, to find what exactly goes on in there and whether it might be a career alternative worth pursuing. But I put the onus on the profession. While we have in place some worthwhile venues through which to reach young journalists at the college level, such as the Clendinen Professorship at the University of South Florida, we have to do a better job of exposing minorities to the profession.

Thankfully, programs like NCEW's Minority Writers Seminar are committed to changing the cultural and racial landscape of editorial boards.

Each year, the NCEW Foundation sponsors a four-day workshop for about 15 experienced minority journalists to explore the nuts and bolts of opinion writing. The program, started in 1996 to increase diversity among opinion writers at newspapers and radio and television stations, is a challenging, exciting, and rewarding experience. I know. After being away from editorial writing for several years, I was in the class of 2001.

The organizers called our editorial board meetings "mock," but they felt very real. We offered our arguments, and if they didn't hold water, the other members of our group weren't shy about shooting them down. In short, it had all the feel of an actual editorial meeting. After our meetings, we went back to our laptops and crafted our editorials. The next morning, our faculty leaders, veteran NCEW members who contribute their time to the worthwhile seminar, returned to us our fledgling attempts at opinion writing, sometimes dripping with red ink. But no one complained. The experience was challenging -- and many of the participants were learning, for the first time, another side of the newspaper.

Of the 81 graduates from 1996-2001, about 27% are now writing editorials or columns professionally. This includes seven opinion writers with less than one years' experience who benefited from the "nuts and bolts" sessions.

The program is a smart step to increasing diversity on editorial boards. Another approach is for the NCEW to encourage colleges to at least expose students to the craft. Recently I called my alma mater to see if opinion writing was being offered to students. It is, I was told, but not consistently.

One of the black journalists I talked with offered a smart marketing tip that editorial boards should consider: Become a stop on your newspaper 's summer internship circuit.

Oftentimes, he said, newspapers will rotate an intern to different jobs throughout the newsroom, but the editorial board isn't on the rotation. Maybe one intern could be tapped to spend a week on the editorial board each summer. The experience could plant the seed that, years later, might germinate into genuine interest when the youngster has gained seasoning as a journalist. Encouragingly, to target more experienced journalists, NCEW sponsors workshops at minority conventions on making the transition from reporting to editorial writing.

Finally, those of us in the business are our profession's best pitchmen. I've talked to two former colleagues about applying for the Minority Seminar next year. I'm encouraged by their genuine interest and inquisitiveness.

Our profession needs a mix of experiences, perspectives, and viewpoints as we debate the issues that are critical to our readers. If we get out there and toot our horns and make some noise about the virtues of opinion writing, greater numbers of talented minority journalists just might start listening.

NCEW member Shanna Flowers is an editorial writer at The Roanoke Times. E-mail her at shanna.flowers@ roanoke.com