In West Africa, a griot is a member of a group of traveling poets, musicians or storytellers who maintain oral history.

With that in mind, the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists hosts an annual banquet called the Griot Drum Awards that includes a guest speaker, a local media awards competition and the awarding of scholarships to students pursuing journalism.

The awards ceremony has included renowned speakers, such as Kevin Merida (media leader), Jemele Hill (sports journalist), Eric Deggans (former TBABJ president and NPR TV critic), Leonard Pitts (columnist), Jarrett Hill (professor and journalist), Tiffany Greene (ESPN commentator) Kimberly Godwin (former ABC News president) and Don Lemon (former CNN News anchor and host of The Don Lemon Show).