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An Open Letter to President Obama
Campaign Redux:An Obama
Supporter’s Historic Choice
The Black Press:What’s Good, Bad,
Ugly… and Still Read!
ourtexas.com
$3.00
VOL.
18
SPR
ING
2009
A CommemorAtive issue
INSIDE MBS: DIScovEr what MakES happy pEoplE, chEap wEllNESS, aND MorE
DD
D
DDDDenton County Museums
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Denton Convention & Visitors Bureau
Dr. Edwin D. Moten
iscover the rich African American history of Denton County exhibited within Denton’s newest museum. For more information on any of the houses of history in Denton County, call (940) 349-2865, www.dentoncounty.com.
Denton’s fi rst black physician
African American Museum & Bayless-Selby House Museum317 W. Mulberry
Courthouse-on-the-Square Museum110 W. Hickory
Denton Firefi ghters’ Museum332 E. Hickory
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www.saturnofnorthtexas.com
Cindy Andrew
DepArtments
Publisher’s Notes ............................ 2It’s bad, but…
Interns’ survey future journalists
LoneStarFace ................................... 3
SoulNotes ........................................ 7Patterson on less stress
OneOnOne ...................................... 9July on his start in the Black Press
POSTmark ...................................... 14Mardis on the Black blog
LastWord ....................................... 26O’Neal on the Black Press’ resolve
MyTURN ......................................... 32Clack on why you, why now
Candidate Barack Obama listens to a young texan.
INSIde edITIONA publisher’s view .............. 25
Carl Booker of The Juice
Akwasi evans of the Nokoa/the Observer
Joycelene Fadojutimi of the East Texas Review
Thurman Jones of the North Dallas Gazette
Hattie Kelly of the Texas Publishers Association
Gregory Moore of the San Antonio Informer
CONFeSSIONS & COMMeNTARy
Terri Williams on mainstream’s diss ............... 12
Sharon egiebor on stress: money, racism ..................... 12
George Silvie on how we roll .......................... 26
Ron Childs on pitiful ad agencies ......................... 27
Robert Stanton on shoptalk ......................... 28
Alicia Gooden on hard work ahead ................. 29
Cheryl Smith on how readers feel ................. 30
Milestones remembers the best ................................ 31mBs
personal................................. 2news to usebodywise ............................... 3smartfood
COver
Open Letter to President Obama ......................... 20PVAMU students, others…
The Recruit ............................................................. 22Cindy Andrew steps up to the political plate
speCiAl FeAture
The Black Press: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
New Times, Same Choice ...................................... 10Making Sense of History ....................................... 11Magazines, Then and Now
Today’s Black Press ................................................ 24Newspaper guide statewide
Our pv interns: From left, Dana polk, Whitney Harris and Domonique pugh
OUR★TEXAS 2 SPRING 2009 | www.ourtexas.com
PUBLISHeR Gemeral e. Berry, Jr.
edITOR ClIFF HOCKer
SPeCIAL PROJeCTS edITORS SamantHa PatterSOn FelICIa D. PInKney
CONTRIBUTING edITOR meta CarStarPHen
AdVeRTISING Gemeral e. Berry, Jr.
CReATIVe dIReCTION PInKney meDIa GrOuP PHOTOGRAPHy JeSSe HOrnBuCKle PHOtOGraPHy
TeCHNICAL ASSISTANCe rIC SPIeGel
CONTRIBUTING WRITeRS
Pam BrOWn
Cary ClaCK
meta CarStarPHen, PH.D.
CHeryle COOPer
KennetH HaWKInS
lInDa F. HOWeltOn, m.D.
WIllIam July, II
JameS marDIS
tyrOnne mOnCrIFFe, eSq.
CHarleS O’neal
rev. Dr. SHerOn C. PatterSOn
rOBert StantOn
marlyne StrInGer
erneSt tODD
Gene GaIneS, atty
CIRCULATION ANd OFFICe MANAGeR
elaIne WIllIamS-Berry
MARKeTING SUPPORT SOutHWeSt aSSOCIateS
dISTRIBUTION aDS PuBlISHer ServICeS, InC.
Our Texas Magazine is published quarterly by Our Texas, Inc., P.O. Box 4463, Dallas, TX 75208-0463. (214) 943-7374 or (214) 946-5315. Printed in the State of Texas. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text or photographs without written permission from the publisher is prohibited.
Manuscripts: The publisher welcomes but can-not be responsible for manuscripts or photo-graphs unless accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope.
To subscribe: Address inquiries and changes of address to Our Texas Magazine. Subscription rates: $10 in-state, $15 out-of-state. For subscrip-tions by phone call:
1-800-766-7710 or visit www.ourtexas.com
CONTACT US
PhOTOGRAPhy FOR COVER AND COVER STORy “ThE RECRUIT” wERE TAkEN By JESSE hORNBUCklE PhOTOGRAPhy OF DAllAS. IllUSTRATIONS wERE CREATED By MATT PINkNEy OF PINkNEy MEDIA GROUP, llC. PhOTOGRAPh OF GEORGE MCElROy wAS TAkEN By EARlIE hUDNAll OF hOUSTON.
Cindy Andrew
DepArtments
Publisher’s Notes ............................ 2It’s bad, but…
Interns’ survey future journalists
LoneStarFace ................................... 3
SoulNotes ........................................ 7Patterson on less stress
OneOnOne ...................................... 9July on his start in the Black Press
POSTmark ...................................... 14Mardis on the Black blog
LastWord ....................................... 26O’Neal on the Black Press’ resolve
MyTURN ......................................... 32Clack on why you, why now
Candidate Barack Obama listens to a young texan.
INSIde edITIONA publisher’s view .............. 25
Carl Booker of The Juice
Akwasi evans of the Nokoa/the Observer
Joycelene Fadojutimi of the East Texas Review
Thurman Jones of the North Dallas Gazette
Hattie Kelly of the Texas Publishers Association
Gregory Moore of the San Antonio Informer
CONFeSSIONS & COMMeNTARy
Terri Williams on mainstream’s diss ............... 12
Sharon egiebor on stress: money, racism ..................... 12
George Silvie on how we roll .......................... 26
Ron Childs on pitiful ad agencies ......................... 27
Robert Stanton on shoptalk ......................... 28
Alicia Gooden on hard work ahead ................. 29
Cheryl Smith on how readers feel ................. 30
Milestones remembers the best ................................ 31mBs
personal................................. 2news to usebodywise ............................... 3smartfood
COver
Open Letter to President Obama ......................... 20PVAMU students, others…
The Recruit ............................................................. 22Cindy Andrew steps up to the political plate
speCiAl FeAture
The Black Press: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
New Times, Same Choice ...................................... 10Making Sense of History ....................................... 11Magazines, Then and Now
Today’s Black Press ................................................ 24Newspaper guide statewide
Our pv interns: From left, Dana polk, Whitney Harris and Domonique pugh
dock Jackson HonoredThe killeen Independent School
District renamed its first school for Black students in honor of the school’s first principal, dock Jackson, Jr.
The old Marlboro Elementary School origi-nally opened for students for the 1954-55 school year with Jackson serving in the dual roles of principal and teacher of 6-8 grades. Black students were still bused to the all-Black
high school in nearby Belton, Texas. The expanded campus – the dock Jackson, Jr. Professional Learning Center – now houses the district’s professional development center, television station and other support services. All teacher in-service training is conducted in the state-of-the-art facility.
As kISD’s first Black administrator, Jackson was catapulted into the lead-ership vanguard of killeen’s Marlboro heights community. The Rosebud native was a capable administrator, a caring and proficient teacher and a demanding exemplar of excellence.
Friends, family, colleagues and for-mer students recalled his roles in the district, education and in the commu-nity during the dedication ceremony last August.
Retired teacher Alice douse intro-duced Jackson’s family and friends. Still a resident of the Marlboro heights neighborhood, douse said Jackson urged her to become a sixth-grade teacher at Marlboro in 1963. She would later follow in her principal’s
lOneStarFaCeS COntInueD On PaGe 6
LoneStarFaCeSLSF
www.ourtexas.com | SPRING 2009 3 OUR★TEXAS
Our interns, dana Polk, Whitney Harris and domonique Pugh from Prairie View A&M University surveyed about 20 mass comm majors from the lanquages and Communications Department on their views on careers in media.
Most students were interested in a career in television, film and journalism—broadcast was first, then magazine and newspaper. No one was interested in becoming an online journalist.
Most chose to look up serious news and information on-line while several pre-ferred print newspapers. A majority said either television or radio started their interest to work in media. Few knew someone in media.
One in four students, roughly 20 percent, preferred CNN, BBC, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the (local) African American News & Issues as their primary sources for news and information and more credible than just searching random websites.
Real 411
They’re aware that gaining accurate information from a Black perspective required different approaches. Most preferred to search on-line, but several oth-ers felt that asking their parents and peers was better. Most liked to use Black entertainment Television. Only one student enjoyed Black forums. Only one believed there were no reliable sources of serious information from the Black perspective.
To attract more young readers, students suggested the Black Press:
n Make headlines and front covers more attractive
n have content that doesn’t turn solely on oppression or Africa.
n Be free and distribute outside traditional communities (“we live every-where.”), and
n Publish more on the economy, personal finance, ideas to make college affordable, health, etc.
Blasé
Some thought that the Black Press seems to lack balance and serious informa-tion. “we need more information on people other than celebrities. Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I care about what they’re doing. As college students, we need to know the latest information in all aspects of our culture.”
Students indicated, however, they’re unaware of how the Black and white Press began. None admitted that they consider the white Press, but many reasoned it may be an option after graduation because they haven’t been exposed to enough of what the Black Press does.
Let’s ‘Conversate.’ No, Really
I’ll say it: we look bad.Sometimes the Black Press looks so unappeal-
ing. Sometime the printing’s no better than mim-eographed church programs done decades ago.
when it comes to how well weekly newspapers (or magazines) are laid out, the layout, well, isn’t. Fea-tures have awful or distorted color pictures, incom-plete sentences, wrong page numbers to continue the stories and grammar gone wild.
yeah, that’s us. That’s not all of us, but it definitely happens much too often.
Is this what defines our press? Is it the best we can do? Is there any hope, especially post-Internet?
Don’t look to be startled here because that’s like constantly arguing on other seemingly important questions like, what’s gonna happen to the Black woman? The Black man? whazwrrong?
Seemingly because this kind of trivial pursuit has entertainment value only. It sparks heated debates with no narrated sense of direction; not control for control sake, but to keep opinions on point to find solutions. At least some.
we’re thrilled that this thought-piece occurred inside our Barack Obama Special Commemorative Issue. Our staff and guest writers dug deep unlike you’ve ever seen in any media. Unlike you’ll see any-time soon.
The conversation we brought here is to inform: identify key issues with insiders and experts who ac-tually know or studied the subject delivering their best. All are candid, raw and open in an effort to let readers know the good, the bad and the ugly, like watching sausage being made. hopefully here, too, you become aware of the unpleasant side of the business that produces your favorite Black-owned publications, and still realize (like the Dells) they’re still in your corner. like old folks with wisdom, such publications and websites hold real value for you. And like cherished relatives, spouses or significant others, we, the Black Press, need and want to earn your support. we’re not where we want to be, but perhaps we’re better than you thought.
you tell us. www.ourtexas.com, [email protected]
Black Press: Yeah, Maybeinterns: From left, Dana polk, Whitney Harris and Domonique pugh
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SouL noteSD R . S h E R O N P A T T E R S O N
Eat to Reduce Stresswhat we eat can help or hurt our stress
level. when we’re stressed out we sometimes skip meals. This is harmful because our body needs fuel at regular intervals. Or we may be prone to “mindless munching” due to stress. This occurs not when we’re not hungry, just stressed.
Stress makes our bodies produce high lev-els of the “stress hormone” cortisol. That’s why we crave foods high in fat, salt and sugar. Due to weight gain from stress, some of us try crash diets. Such diets are often dangerous paths that can be bad for our health in the long run.
SolutionEat three balanced meals or six smaller
meals every day. Stay hydrated by drinking at least eight glasses of water per day. Don’t al-low your problems to rob you of a healthy self. Be proactive!
Exercise YourselfStress can make us want to crawl under a
rock and hide. Bad feelings slow us down and sometimes shut us down. A preoccupation with the problem takes our attention away from the affect stress has on our body. Inac-tivity causes weight gain, stiff joints and an overall feeling of malaise.
SolutionGet moving. Physical activity relieves tense
muscles and helps our moods. Our bod-ies produce a chemical called “endorphins” before and after a work out. They help our bodies relax. Be smart: don’t spend more. Do more.
Quit the Stinking Thinking
Negative thoughts in our mind can lead to stress. when we mentally degrade ourselves, or continually second-guess our actions, we create what I call “stinking thinking.” This mad-ness or approach to life can pollute our minds and give the stress greater power to shut us down. The human brain can trigger negative thinking when we compare ourselves to oth-ers or when we wallow in the pain of past in-cidents.
Solutionwhen something negative pops up in
your mind arrest it immediately and re-place it with a positive. Relegate self-doubt to the trashcan of your mind. Take charge of your mind. you are ultimately in control. dr. Patterson, senior pastor at Highland Hills UMC, is an author and a health and wellness expert.
live stress-less in 2009. Is it possible? I say yes. Right now you can make decisions regarding your lifestyle, eating and thinking that will dramatically decrease the impact of stress in your life. why continue to exist in drama-filled and
unpleasant situations? As a recent survivor of breast cancer I’m well aware of the link between cancer and stress. That’s why I routinely monitor the amount of stress in my life.
I’m simply not going to allow stress to invade my body again.
Everyone has stress of some type. It’s just a part of being human.
Stress comes to us when we experience the death of a spouse, di-vorce, marital separation, spending time in jail, death of a close fam-ily member, personal illness or injury, marriage, pregnancy, and re-tirement.
here’s what stress looks like and feels like; trouble sleeping, head-aches, constipation, diarrhea, irritability, lack of energy, lack of con-centration, eating too much or not at all, anger, sadness depression, anxiety, weight gain or loss, heart problems, and high blood pres-sure. had enough?
STRESS Less
Try three ways to handle the stress in your life:
footsteps and become principal at hay Branch Elementary.
“This is such a fitting honor,” Mrs. Douse said. “Mr. Jackson was such an inspirational leader, not only on our campus, but in our community. he was committed to preparing our students for life, and understood that a sound educational foundation was abso-lutely critical to future success.”
Charles O’Neal told the attendees that he benefited from Jackson’s guidance and nurturing.
“If I am perfectly honest,” the former stu-
dent said, “I was a teacher’s pet!” O’Neal re-called that as a sixth-grader in Mr. Jackson’s class, “I was Captain of the Safety Patrol, I was Fire Marshal. I called attendance figures into the administration building, and I got to help clean up the building after school.
“Mostly, though, I remember Mr. Jackson challenging us to excel and often reminded us that when we went on to junior high and high school we would still be representing Marlboro. we knew he wanted us to be the best and I can truthfully say that I would not be who I am today without the influence of Dock Jackson in my formative years.”
his widow, Thelma Jackson, a kISD retiree who began her teaching career at Marlboro, praised the dedication. “Mr. Jackson would have been so proud, so humbled by this occasion,” she said. “he really was dedicated to this school, this community and the edu-cation of the students in his care. This is an absolutely unbelievable honor for him.”
System Superintendent Dr. Jim Hawkins said Jackson left a legacy that inspired a generation of leaders who have stood on his shoulders to achieve great accomplish-ments.
lOneStarFaCeS COntInueD FrOm PaGe 3
OUR★TEXAS 6 SPRING 2009 | www.ourtexas.com
oneononew I l l I A M J U l y , I I
I remember my teenage years, stand-ing in a convenience store reading the latest issue of the Houston Forward Times, Houston Defender, Houston Sun,
or the Informer. I knew the day of publica-tion for each Black paper and eagerly waited for them. These community papers were more important to me than the city dailies because they were reporting on my commu-nity, people I knew and events that affected my block. These weeklies were put together with passion with publishers invested in the community. They loved their communities and were involved in politics, education, healthcare, and all sorts of issues. when a community forum on anything was held, they were there to cover the story; not just their reporters and photographers, but the actual publishers. They were always “front and center,” participating and taking a lead-ership role.
Blow Up
Early in my entrepreneurial career the Black press took an active role in showcasing my ambitions early. when I owned an insur-
ance agency as an 18 year-old freshman at Texas Southern, the Forward Times and the Informer ran articles about it. later when I was in the real estate business with my fam-ily, the Black press continued to feature my growth in the community. Over 10 years ago when I became an author, it was Gemeral Berry, Jr. of Our Texas who tapped me for my first regular magazine column. Essence magazine published the article that put me on the map as a serious non-fiction talent years ago and set a successful literary career
in motion. without a doubt, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the Black Press. It was my launching pad to success.
Okay, enough of my sentimental journey; let’s talk business because despite the good intentions of the Black Press, it’s still a busi-ness that has to survive as such in order to be there tomorrow. One thing any business can count on is change. Change comes and causes us to have to flex and bend, or oth-erwise we break and shatter and that’s what concerns me today.
So-Called Black
Actually not just the Black Press, but the Black media in general. This media faces a time of tran-sition and some won’t make
it. why? Change, unfortunately, isn’t some-thing that all business people know how to roll with. Black publishers will be no excep-tion.
There will be those who adapt to changes in the market with innovative strategies; those who leverage emerging media tech-nologies for their benefit; and others who understand creative ways to continue carv-ing out a niche. And there will be those who’ll be inflexible, stagnant, or too slow to make the necessary changes and investments, and like dinosaurs, they’ll cease to exist.
That brings us to the harsh reality of keep-ing Black media in the black. Black media has to stay in business because unlike much of the mainstream media, the Black media has a mission and purpose beyond the mere hawking of advertising because it gives voice to the consciousness of an entire people. It‘ll
take some bold strategies to accomplish this growth and survival.
For example, survival and growth is why Es-sence, a so-called Black magazine is owned by the Time corporation which is not a Black owned corporation. It was a business deci-sion. Also, let’s not forget, the flagship of the Black media, BET, is no longer black-owned either. As a Black person and armchair phi-losopher I’m not sure how I feel about that and I could certainly write an entire column on the potential overarching, sociological and psychological ramifications of this but, I’ll save it for another time. As a business-man, I see the logic very clearly: Businesses need firepower to remain competitive and strong and mergers are ways in which this is accomplished.
Taking A Risk
But the challenge for the Black Press and Black media today is to put in the work it will take to sur-vive as a unique and vitally im-
portant niche on the American media land-scape. To do that takes new ideas, creative strategies, technology, and good old Ameri-can risk taking. But without it, we may not have a Black media as we know it today. The mission is to find a way to grow and evolve as a uniquely Black and independent media. As we do this we’ll find a way to generate in-come as businesses and maintain the leader-ship role the Black community has entrusted to us. let’s keep Black ink in the black.
dr. July is the author of several popular and
bestselling books on relationships. Visit www.wil-
liamjuly.com for more tips on relationships.
More Than Black Ink
OUR★TEXAS 8 SPRING 2009 | www.ourtexas.com
Jelynne LeBlanc-Burley, vice president and chief administrative officer
What I really like about my job is that I get to touch every business function in the company.
Our employees are the sharpest people I’ve ever been around. They know the business inside and out. That’s why CPS Energy is the top rated municipally owned utility in the nation, and recognized in the industry for the commitment to excellence.
Intelligent. Community oriented. Service minded.
Commitment.A D V E R T O R I A L
New Times, Same Choice A rundown on the blah-blah (white) media might increase regard for the Black Press
when white lawyers in the American Bar Association dissed our colored ones, they established the National
Bar Association. A similar diss created the National Medical Association, HBCUs and fraternities and sororities, etc.
Voices of the Black Press encountered it way earlier.
Protest the Protesters
Folks like Thomas Jefferson ex-tolled freedom of the press as Brit-ish-appointed colonial governors ransacked printing shops. Main-
stream press bravely campaigned for liberty and democracy for white Americans only. Ignoring our voice just made them freedom wannabes.
“Black people were denied access to the white Press,” says Clint Wilson II, a howard University journalism professor and author of A History of the Black Press. “The Black Press was founded as an advocacy press, not as a general interest paper, but for the cause of freedom.” It produces content in the interest of African Americans.
Legally White
Newspapers remained confused about Black people long after the Civil war. Plessy vs. Ferguson, an 1896 U.S. Supreme Court case
that upheld separate but equal treatment, left its mark on journalism, too.
“Daily newspapers gained prominence around the time of Plessy,” Wilson says. “The press wasn’t obligated to cover Black folks. In fact, the term ‘daily or mainstream’ really stands for the “White Press.”
wilson says typically we think of the ef-fects of segregation on schools, pools, etc., but seldom media. Publishers developed
an approach that became journalism’s early standard. A news report arose, he continues, when a reporter went to an “authority” or “source” to find out what happened. hence the story came from a source, usually white, reported by a writer, usually white, and writ-ten to appeal to a “general” audience, mainly white and male. All three elements carried a white perspective or interest.
Wars, Brown, Riots
wh e t h e r i n j u s -tices to citizens
or soldiers, the Black Press brought con-text to Black America’s issues into print. It teamed with NAACP and advocates like W.e.B. duBois.
It increased its numbers and circulation dramatically as it upheld its mission, while the white Press mined its mission to become commercially viable. Both missions remained different and seldom had the same readers. Financially each did well, though the white Press raked in far more revenue from its larg-er market.
In 1942 publishers established the Nation-al Newspaper Publishers Association. To-day NNPA Media Services and www.Black-PressUSA.com are the gateway to its over 200 member newspapers with more than 15 millions readers.
Problem years
wilson believes that the time af-ter the Civil Rights Movement signaled an ostensible decline in its influence partly because
the white media—including network TV news— covered riots, civil rights decisions
and legislation in the 60s. Their editorial and commentary remained a white viewpoint.
“95% of the Black Press have been week-lies,” asserts wilson. “Blacks started getting news about their struggle daily from white media. That hurt the Black Press. I’m not say-ing that white media did a good job. They didn’t bring a Black perspective, commen-tary, nothing. They merely covered events.”
The white Press needed to legitimize its coverage and obtain news aspects its white reporters couldn’t get. It hired Vernon Jar-rett, earl Caldwell and Chuck Stone from the Black Press. (Recent crossovers: ed Gor-don, Tavis Smiley and Roland Martin.) More exposure and money. The result then and now is that top journalists are siphoned off.
wilson insists that complete ownership of our struggle is no longer in the hands of the Black Press but white media too. white media conglomerates and their advertisers covet the Black buying power for marketing purposes. They learned from Black publish-ers whose weeklies started to gain revenue from large white advertisers like General Mo-tors and department stores.
New era
Post-Obama, race still matters. wil-son argues: “A white magazine in Texas anticipates a certain number to reason, ‘It’s a (white) magazine. I
may be Black but I’m a Texan.’ So you read it. The reverse, ‘It’s a Black magazine. I may be white but I’m Texan,’ doesn’t happen. That’s a function of racism.
“I think mistakes the Black Press makes, though hardly hateful or culturally careless, would be forgiven if the reader gets the sense that the content is ‘really trying to help my family. I’m all for you.’ ”
Clint Wilson II
By Gemeral Berry, Jr.
OUR★TEXAS 10 SPRING 2009 | www.ourtexas.com
Region 1862: n L’Union (the Union) became the first newspaper published in the South and in both French and English during the Civil war.
1864: n New Orleans Tribune became the first daily news publication, published by Louis C. Roudanez, a wealthy Black phy-sician who earned medical degrees from the University of Paris and Dartmouth, and Jean-Charles Houzeau, a Belgian journalist with a revolutionary streak.
Magazines1940s n Sepia was first published in Fort worth in 1947, a Google search finds. It exposed the rise in violence against Blacks and was styled like Look and compared to Ebony. George Levitan, identified as nonBlack, is credited as the first publisher or editor. Its publisher in 1983 was Beatrice Pringle, whose race wasn’t given.
n The Spot was started in Fort worth in the late ‘40s by publisher/photographer Calvin Littlejohn, who lived from 1909 to 1993. The Calvin littlejohn Photographic Archives is located at the Center for American history at UT Austin.
1990s n Our Texas, a regional quarterly, was established in Dallas in 1991 by publisher Gemeral earnest Berry, Jr. www.our-texas.com, [email protected]
n Our Heritage was started in San Antonio in 1994 by publisher/photographer Alvin Fegan and Wayman Griffin. Griffin and Rodney Burks co-published Legacy in 1999 for six years.
n Black Tie was published in houston in the mid-1990s.
n 747 was published in Dallas by the Bac-cus family.
n Eclipse was started in Dallas in 1999 by publisher Jimmy Porch. www.eclipse-texas.com, [email protected]
The Spot was started in Fort
worth in the late 40s by publisher/
photographer Calvin littlejohn, who lived
from 1909 to 1993.
New Times, Same Choice A rundown on the blah-blah (white) media might increase regard for the Black Press
How It StartedDaily or mainstream newspapers had its begin-nings in Publick Occurrences in 1690, a bold publication in press freedom. later on newspapers were based on selling to America’s general or mass audience.
Recognizing a bias or deceptive back-drop, Samuel Cornish and John Russwurm published Freedom’s Journal in New york City in 1827, well
over 100 years after Publick. This precursor to today’s Black Press circulated in 11 states, the District of Columbia, haiti, Europe, and Canada. Given the “we cover everybody“ pre-tense of mainstream newspapers, the Journal’s motto, “we wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us,” becomes a lot clearer.
www.ourtexas.com | SPRING 2009 11 OUR★TEXAS
By Terri Williams
Remember how mainstream pa-pers hailed astro-nauts Neil Arm-
strong as the first “man” to walk on the moon (as though he did it for all mankind) while Bernard Harris was the first “Black man” to walk in space (as though he did it
just for Black people)? Note to mainstream — If you report Harris is Black on his first achieve-ment, then report Armstrong is white on his. It’s called evenhandedness.
They claim fairness, but these papers are far from neutral, still hiding their whiteness.
In Pearland, a houston suburb, two high school students were charged with disorderly conduct after hanging a noose on campus. No race of the youths was mention. In a November 9, 2007 Houston Chronicle follow-up article, the boys’ race again was not mentioned yet the race of a teen in another incident was: “In an unre-lated incident, an African-American student at
hightower high… was suspended wednesday after he taped signs over two water fountains...”
Controversy followed revelations that former harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosen-thal sent racist emails from his office computer. In an article that attempted to find out what type of environment is within the DA’s office, suspect reporting persisted. Columnist Lisa Falkenberg wrote in early February 6 2008:
“A couple weeks ago, I attended an informal support group of 10 current and former black harris County prosecutors… I listened as the prosecutors talked about what it feels like to be black in the DA’s office these days.“
Though she meant well, I wished she’d inter-viewed white prosecutors, report how they feel about their Black colleagues working in that racist situation, and what they wanted done to make it a better workplace.
Articles in many dailies regularly refer to our race, like the August 5, 2008 article in The Dallas Morning News on the funeral of prominent Rev. C.A. W. Clark. It referred three times to the at-tendees’ race. yet its archives reveal funerals of other well-respected Dallas ministers with no
references to “fellow white pastors,” or “major white Baptist groups.”
The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, mainstream’s bible, says, in part, use race when “it gives substantial insight or involved in a dem-onstration. This works from one viewpoint only.” Hint to mainstream: Either change the bible or write your next piece about the next prominent guy’s funeral with the number of “white attend-ees” or the number of “white students” playin’ around with rope.
UT’s George Silvie found surveys that indicate women have a more open management style than men. “I hope more women become man-agers, regardless of color,” he added. “women seem to be the key to this country advancing di-versity and new ideas. with few exceptions, the stereotypical white male will hire and think the way it traditionally happens, and not enough people of color get into newspapers.”
Williams writes and lives in Houston. Contributor Michael Todd lives in dallas.
By Sharon egiebor
Trust, resources and skill level are the most noticeable differences in work-ing for Black newspapers and white ones. From the first day I worked at
the Black Press, people trusted me to do what they asked and went overboard to make sure the meager resources available were at my dis-posal.
At white ones, trust was hard-earned, yet re-sources were carefully doled out to the select white superstars: Those sent on out-of-town stories with vacation days tacked on at the end, and others given first dibs on new technology. They also received the larger starting salaries, raises and the best in-town assignments.
Lip Service
Managers “prepared” to do the right thing — bring in diversity, cover a diverse community and conduct business with sensitivity to all races and ethnicities. But frequently minority report-ers stayed in the minority. If a Black reporter left, would that position automatically be replaced with another one? If a white one left, would a Black journalist have a true shot at it?
The newsroom might have a pro-Black jour-nalist, but not two. Too disruptive! The edict was unspoken but noticeable to us. In the mid-1980s when Dallas-Fort worth was going through racial upheavals, white fears surfaced anytime we gathered in one spot of the newsroom. you heard and felt their concern: what are they talk-ing about? why are they together? Most of the time, it was simply a discussion of lunch!
Can’t Afford
Then stay with the Black Press, right? It comes down to resources and skills. Most papers can-not afford competitive wages and benefits like white ones. This tends to lead publishers to hire lesser-trained employees. Access to good re-search systems such as lexisNexis or Associated Press archives become unavailable. In fact, most weeklies do a poor job of maintaining their own archives. when a story is assigned, there’s no previous record to review and no one on staff who was around then to ask.
Turnover becomes an issue. Most reporters, photographers and designers start at a weekly, but very few want to remain more than a year. Editors who stay longer are in a constant train-ing mode. The fight to survive financially soon
overcomes the weaknesses in “mainstream” or White Press. Most return to it.
Wide Gap
A bad economy is changing the industry. lay-offs or downsizing often means Black staffers are first to go. Instead of moving to a weekly that couldn’t compete with the immediacy of news, some left the industry altogether. Others use their communication skills in the new media — websites, blogs and Internet newsletters.
Today’s decline creates a wider gap between our communities and white media. It also en-ables a plethora of biased white commentators to step into the roles once reserved for college-trained, by-the-book journalists. The future of America’s Fourth Estate is in question, including our role.
egiebor has been a journalist for over 25 years. Her career included the weekly Kansas City Call and the dallas Morning News. Reach her at [email protected].
(Mean)stream Madness
Stress: Money, Racism
OUR★TEXAS 12 SPRING 2009 | www.ourtexas.com
Seventy-two years of experience.
Become a NAACP member.
Make Texas better.
To contact the Texas State Conference of NAACP Units, call 512-322-9547, email [email protected], or visit the web-site www.texasnaacp.org.
Gary Bledsoe, state president
Over time there have been myriad declara-tions of the death of the printed media: magazines and daily newspapers, in particu-lar. when you consider
how the two institutions have maligned or misinformed our community, there’s little reason or sympathy to expect a hue and cry on their decline and eventual death.
however, even for those with little regard for the history of the mainstream press’ role in maintaining the racial divide well divided, the only pitiful reason to consider their “daily” printed life is for employment.
In spite of the awful examples of Boston Globe’s Patricia Smith, and the New York Times’ Jayson Blair, more credible Black writers are finally permeating this medium. I’ve seen the all-white news world become speckled with various hues and influenced accordingly toward stories and images that are recognizable and relevant.
what once had us rush home to hear ABC News anchor Max Robinson or seek out Black weeklies like the Dallas Post Tribune or Houston Defender, for instance, has all but vanished as the social watering holes. Ask anyone under 30 about either of these high points or milestones and you’re likely to be derided; and that would be from a journal-ism student.
Hear Me
I recognize that media has grudgingly accepted telling the Black experience, but here’s the problem. Rapid devel-opment of the online or electronic
“press” (email or Internet) today makes print media seemingly irrelevant. These online writers, often new to the craft of journalism, clearly fail to recognize the relevance of our collective struggle and social change. To them, these critical events are considered, incorrectly, meaningless.
They’re called bloggers; and what passes for journalism or serious writing today is called blogging. A blog, not to be confused with a news website, is merely a posting for
any and every manner of public shout-outs, put downs, commentary and all-purposed “hear-me-roar” from the four corners. hon-estly, with facts, spelling and grammar reck-lessly optional, these waystations of diatribe are certainly unsafe zones for editorialized candor. Truly, just logon and spew. Some sites are managed from the local library or coffeehouse computer. Others with more regard for sensible offerings and guarded reputations have honest commentary where practicing journalists take their best shot. however, as with the “real” newspaper, what aspect of the community at-large is hungering for reasoned voices? you can read a blog from your smartphone device while in line at a burger joint. As the saying continues to go, “this ain’t rocket science”. Bloggers, however, are likely to respond, “who needs rockets, anyway?”
Careless
It’s tough to regard blogging as relevant under basic rules of public dis-course: identity and sourcing. Techno-logical advancement has butted right
up against common sense when you con-sider that much of youth culture mistakenly turn to the blog as a news source. I cannot rightfully argue for the revival or continua-tion of either medium, but newspapers or other traditional news media at least can be held accountable for the content they present. with the vast number of blogs (and trust my use of the word “vast”), there’s no honest starting place to analyze this genre.
you may find some credible blogs but you should scrutinize them just as you would your local press. Equally, as with the tradi-tional press, the occurrence of “blog theft” (read: plagiarism), remains rampant. The attempt to write a relevant blog without sponsorship is faulty, at best. Blogs written without time to consider the subject matter are merely rants or regurgitations of chat room fodder often with sexual, homopho-bic, misogynistic, gender and race-caustic undertones.
Taking a page from youth culture’s cart-before-the-horse, the you-don’t-know-me mindset on looking at the world; consider
searching for any number of so-called Top Black Blogs Awards. Also, a random search on yahoo.com of Best Black Blogs will let you see what it takes to be “heard” in the new marketplace. however, one source for likely credible blogging is the Blogging While Brown Conference held in Atlanta, GA this summer. Visit www.bloggingwhile-brown.com to find out more information on next year’s event.
electronic Village, www.electronicvil-lage.blogspot.com, has created a Black Blog Rankings (BBR) with over 1,400 blogs. here are a few samples:
www.bossip.com, entertainment; heavy water cooler chatter
www.whataboutourdaughters.com, lives up to its name
www.blackvoices.com/blogs
www.dallassouthblog.com, an interesting perspective on community
www.afronetizen.blogs.com, political awareness
www.blackandmissing.blogspot.com, read and weep, especially the dates from the early 1990s, then alert your loved ones
www.twitter.com, a free service to stay in touch with web, phone and IM users
www.ThEOTAlkS.COM, political commentary
www.blackplanet.com, a popular site with NPR
www.racewire.org, a better “idea marketplace” than most
Reach Mardis at
PoStmarkJ A M E S M A R D I SBlack Blog
OUR★TEXAS 14 SPRING 2009 | www.ourtexas.com
Be Happy:
Skip TV
Many of us just can’t cut the to-bacco industry any slack, even when it apparently is doing some good. Bill Phelps has
known what he’s up against for years. he’s spokesperson for Philip Morris USA, owned by Altria Group, Inc. It produces several to-bacco products, including Marlboro, the largest selling cigarette nationwide.
Phelps is, nonetheless, prepared to set the record straight. The youth Smoking Prevention Program (ySP) is a key part of the company’s efforts to stop underage smoking. “Some might wonder about the program and question our commitment,” Phelps says. “Others point to the settlement agreement the industry signed 10 years ago, but it’s not the case.”
“The agreement mandates only that the company be committed to youth smoking prevention and have an executive who iden-tifies ways to keep kids from smoking. It’s broad, yet doesn’t require our programs. It’s the right thing to do. Underage smoking is illegal and as the largest cigarette manufac-turer, we have a role to play in helping keep kids from smoking or using tobacco prod-ucts. It’s also bad for business.”
The industry takes heat, however, from laws and legislation that Phelps believes ex-cessively restrict sales. An example of excess
he gives is the $1.00 excise tax per pack of cigarettes in Texas. Increased criticism from health groups and society also impedes the company’s primary goal: To compete for the largest share of the adult tobacco market.
years ago, Philip Morris USA responded with ySP. honest, forthright communication to parents is one of its most visible aspects. Phelps says research suggests that paren-tal interaction is one of the most impor-tant ways to impact a youth’s decision not to smoke. Often, parents don’t understand how important it is, or aren’t quite sure how a conversation should play out or how to bring up the subject.
The Parent Resource Center, found at www.PhilipMorrisUSA.com, features childhood development experts who ex-plain how to start a conversation to ensure success. They discuss different opportunities that might be the optimum times to hold such a conversation. Phelps reveals that a lot of parents find it useful.
The company’s grant program is another. It funds youth-serving organizations with programs that help prevent kids from en-gaging in risky behaviors, including using any tobacco product. Says Phelps: “These organizations are experts at working with kids. Philip Morris USA simply partners with them.
“As a member of the community I think it makes a lot of sense for us to play a role in helping keep kids from smoking. As a par-ent, I learned a great deal from our program and shared some of what I’ve learned with my own children. It’s something that I don’t want them to do.”
A third element of the program is its youth Access Prevention effort. It includes fund-ing to train retail clerks to be vigilant about checking young customers’ identification before completing a transaction. “Surveys show that kids have walked into stores and purchased tobacco products and we want to help prevent that,” Phelps recalls. “your readers know the “we Card” sign on a re-tailer’s door.
“we work with different states’ agencies. Each runs enforcement programs to ran-domly test stores. If a state reports that it caught a store selling to someone undercov-er or a minor, we take action against retailers through programs that pay them incentives on how they sell our products. If a retailer is convicted, we withhold payments for a cer-tain period as they find ways to correct the problem.”
For more information on ySP or “we Card,” and to access other programs, visit the Parent Resource Center on the www.PhilipMorrisUSA.com.
happy people spend
a lot of time social-izing, going to church and reading newspapers — but they don’t spend a lot of time watching television, a new study finds.
That’s what unhappy people do.
Although people who describe them-selves as happy en-joy watching televi-sion, it turns out to
be the single activity they engage in less often than un-
happy people, said John Robinson, University of Maryland sociology professor and the study’s author.
while most large studies on happiness focused on the demographic characteristics of happy people — factors like age and marital status — Dr. Robinson and his col-leagues tried to identify what activities happy people
engage in. The study relied on the responses of 45,000 Americans collected over 35 years by the University of Chicago’s General Social Survey, and studies recording the daily “time diary”.
“we looked at 8 to 10 activities that happy people en-gage in, and for each one, the people who did the activi-ties more —going to church, etc. — were more happy,” Dr. Robinson said. “TV was the one activity that showed a negative relationship. Unhappy people did it more, and happy people did it less.”
Researchers couldn’t tell whether unhappy people watch more television or whether being glued to the set is what makes people unhappy. “I don’t know that turn-ing off the TV will make you more happy,” Dr. Robinson said.
he said it shows that people who spend the most time watching television are least happy in the long run.
Since the major predictor of how much time is spent watching television is whether someone works or not, Dr. Robinson added, it’s possible that rising unemployment will lead to more TV time.
From the journal Social Indicators Research
2
n e w s t o u s e
p e r s o n a l
Welcome to the Parent Resource Center where you’ll find tools, tips and printedmaterials by child development experts to help you raise kids who don’t smoke.
Tools and tips for talking to your kids about not smoking.
Parent Resource Center
Talk. They’ll Listen.
Resources for Parents Featured SectionHave the Ta l k :Download free publications from
the Raising Kids Who Don’t Smokeparent resource series.
Have a virtual conversation about notsmoking and get advice from expertsalong the way.
H O M E A B O U T P A R E N T R E S O U R C E C E N T E R S I G N - U P F OR M O R E I N F O
Talking AboutNot SmokingTalking AboutNot Smoking
Your Kids &Peer PressureYour Kids &Peer Pressure
Beyond the ConversationBeyond the Conversation
For ParentsWho SmokeFor ParentsWho Smoke
Could Your KidBe Smoking?Could Your KidBe Smoking? ResourcesResources Facts
& ResearchFacts& Research
View OnlineView Online S t a r tS t a r t
Parents can be the singlegreatest influence on their kids.
Ta l k . T h ey’ll listen.
Philip Morris USA P r i vacy Statement Terms of Use Parent Resource Center en Español
Shrinking WomanIn an age when the adult popu-
lations of most industrialized na-tions have grown significantly taller, the average height of Black women is receding. It started with those born in the late 1960s.
The difference in stature be-tween white women and Black women has now stretched to three-quarters of an inch and ap-pears to be increasing, according to newly released data from the National Health and Nutrition Ex-amination Survey conducted by the federal Centers for disease Control and Prevention.
The main culprit appears to be diet.
The average height of a Black woman born in the 1980s is just under 5 feet 4 inches; her mother,
born in the 1960s, is more than half an inch taller. Even her grand-mother, born in the 1940s, is a bit taller. The average white woman born in the 1980s is about half an inch taller than her mother.
The gap is “truly phenomenal,” according to John Komlos, a his-torian whose specialty is studying human heights. “Such a steep de-cline is practically unprecedented in modern history.
“you have to go back to the antebellum South to find a simi-lar shrinkage. The generation of white men born in the 1840s who experienced the ravages of the Civil war lost nearly an inch to their Northern counterparts,” komlos said.
From the Associated Press
Cabbage: Cheap WellnessTrying to eat fresh food on a tight budget? Think cabbage.
It’s very economical, in most supermarkets, and it gives you a huge nutritional bang for your buck. It’s always been a main-stay for the poor, and in cold climates people of all classes have relied on it to feed themselves through many a winter.
Cabbage belongs to the Cruciferae or Brassica family and re-lated vegetables include kale, broccoli, collards and Brussels sprouts. Nutritionist Johnny Bowden calls cabbage “the most important vegetable in the world for its nutritional benefits and cancer-fighting ability.” Cabbage possesses phytochemi-cals including sulforaphane, which studies suggest protects the body against cancer-causing free radicals, and indoles, which help metabolize estrogens. It’s also an excellent source of vitamins k and C, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, folate, manganese and Omega 3 fatty acids.
The sulfuric compounds in these veggies are the source of many of their nutritional attributes, but they also lead to bad smells when overcooked. Properly prepared, cabbage releases a sweet, fragrant flavor and aroma.
From the New york Times
3
f o o d s m a r tb o d y w i s e
Mom’s dream, my achievement
Walmart recognizes the importance of history and education, and proudly celebrates African-American history as the sponsor of the America I AM exhibit. And to encourage future history-makers, we’ve donated nearly one million dollars to the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. With the right tools, all dreams can become achievements.
Learn more about our commitment and America I AM at walmart.com/ourvoice.
walmart.com/ourvoice
STUDIO IMPRINT Walmar BHM AD # WAL BHM 304 08PB
JOB NUMBER ART DIRECTOR M. Mills
CLIENT Wal-Mart WRITER N. Reed
COLORS 4 PRODUCTION P. Burr
BLEED ENGRAVER
TRIM DATE 12.12.08
LIVE 7 x 10 FILED Studio Imprint
DESCRIPTION: PAGE (NEWSWEEKLY) 4/C NON-BLEED
T he Black Press will survive, even
thrive, when it returns to its his-
torical roots.
One hundred eighty-one years
after the first Black-owned newspaper hit the
streets, America and its media have hurtled
into the lightning fast future of hyper com-
munications. News and events that even five
years ago would be tomorrow’s “news,” now
are instantaneously “youTubed” into our col-
lective consciousness. Opinions, factoids,
even gossip and slander, morph through the
blogosphere and ignite and inflame the sen-
sibilities of online news junkies around the
world – in mere nanoseconds!
Can the Black Press compete?
It must!
I argue that race still matters to Black Amer-
ica, and we need our cause pleaded as direly
as Freedom’s Journal readers did back then.
The heavy hammers of politics and economy
beat mercilessly on our communities every-
where. Inadequate healthcare and education
unfairly limit us physically and intellectually.
Traditional and non-denominational worship
inject hyperbole; yet finds us with our very
faith challenged.
All the while, other media outlets (read
white) – just like in 1827 – serve up images
of us that seem designed to reinforce stereo-
types of someone else’s creation. Gross im-
ages to ridicule and marginalize us, divide us
inter-generationally, and expose and hurtfully
substantiate our worst behaviors. It’s all skill-
fully woven to create a “reality” as genuine as
an out-of-context quote or one blurb from a
thirty-second soundbite.
The Black Press of this millennium can re-
establish its legitimacy, its efficacy, by simply
returning to its strong suit: get back in the
business of de-bunking the stereotypes; of ex-
plaining and demonstrating that what white
media shows us about Black folks is NOT all
there is to being Black in America; and of chal-
lenging unresponsive government. Recapture
the spirit of “Soldiers without Swords,” its
evocative documentary.
Ahhh, but there’s the rub! It costs money to
take a stand, and these publishers face literal
survival issues. No advertising – no paper. yet,
Google Freedom’s Journal and check out that
first issue. No advertising! Just two concerned
brothers doing their part to provide an answer
to a community’s needs, though they parted
ways and the paper lasted about two years.
Their clarion call to Black publishers, how-
ever, has survived nearly two hundred years
and finds us less dependent on the Black Press
than at any time. So let’s get this straight: it
MUST survive. The Black Press is needed be-
cause it requires reading! And while that may
seem awfully simplistic against the backdrop
of emails and IM, reading remains truly funda-
mental to developing intellectual curiosity, a
quest that should help fully formed each of us.
If you can read, you can learn. If you can learn,
you can change behavior. If you can change
behavior, you can change the world, and our
world certainly needs changing.
New voices should be heard. New approach-
es to old problems hashed out. New solutions
relayed to the masses through the resources
of a reinvigorated Black Press that publishes
them. To their credit, a great number of our
weeklies are making serious strides by cre-
ating versions online. what’s unfortunate is
they’re uploading the same disconnected-
from-reality, ennui-inducing drivel as found in
their weekly pages.
A revivified Black Press is truly change we
need. Not one that drowns us in images of
athletes and entertainers, but a strong one to
supply us with images of a world moving on
without us, and to stoke the fires of creativity
which have sustained us thus far.
we need a courageous Black Press that artic-
ulates our collective dissatisfaction, desire and
need; a fair press, to document our “rightness,”
faithfulness, and steadfastness; and a truthful
one, unafraid to challenge our own shortcom-
ings nor beholden to others who defame us.
Finally, remember the hippie bumper stick-
er, “what if they had a war and nobody came?”
what if we had just the kind of Black Press we
need and nobody noticed? There’s no possi-
bility of a strong, bold, truthful and financially
sound Black Press if we don’t first demand it,
then support it.
It takes money to do the job right. If you
aren’t telling the people you spend your mon-
ey with that you NO lONGER wIll unless you
find their message in your Black Press… well,
you get what you deserve! There’s no treat-
ment for that…
O’Neal, a former Black weekly editor, is
vice president of economic development at
the dallas Chamber of Commerce.
LaStwordC h A R l E S O ’ N E A l
“We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us.”
John Russwurm & Samuel Cornish
Freedom’s Journal March 16, 1827
Doctor’s Orders
Mom’s dream, my achievement
Walmart recognizes the importance of history and education, and proudly celebrates African-American history as the sponsor of the America I AM exhibit. And to encourage future history-makers, we’ve donated nearly one million dollars to the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. With the right tools, all dreams can become achievements.
Learn more about our commitment and America I AM at walmart.com/ourvoice.
walmart.com/ourvoice
STUDIO IMPRINT Walmar BHM AD # WAL BHM 304 08PB
JOB NUMBER ART DIRECTOR M. Mills
CLIENT Wal-Mart WRITER N. Reed
COLORS 4 PRODUCTION P. Burr
BLEED ENGRAVER
TRIM DATE 12.12.08
LIVE 7 x 10 FILED Studio Imprint
DESCRIPTION: PAGE (NEWSWEEKLY) 4/C NON-BLEED
www.ourtexas.com | SPRING 2009 19 OUR★TEXAS
how’s it goin’, Mr. President? hope the move to your new digs is still going smooth for you and the family.
way before November 4, anxious anticipation stretched all over us at Prairie View A&M Univer-sity, more than you’d ever imagined. The night be-fore the first day of early voting felt young. Nothing paralleled the ardency that consumed students as we restlessly waited to wake up to our moment to be a part of history. In late October we join millions of other college students to cast our own vote in such a pivotal election where potentially lay the fate of America.
like many others, this was my very first presidential election.
we met on campus to march to the nearest election poll in expecta-
tion of voting for hope, change, and an unadulterated reality that Dr.
king’s well-known dream would now manifest. while our taped mouths
illustrated the university’s theme -- “No Vote No Voice,” DJ Rogers’
booming speakers blasted our message to awakening students to join
what we felt was surely a celebration in history.
Kanye West’s Good Morning filled the streets and dormitories and
pounded our message on every door: “WAKE UPPPP,” to a new ideol-
ogy and approach toward governance and politics that can mend the
broken system we struggled under; and “Good Morning,” to a new
opportunity to be heard. Finally. Anticipation grew as more gathered.
An Open Letter tO
president ObAmA
As we neared the
polls, we removed
the tape in unison,
and every single
ballot cast was a
symbolic scream
for the change
you promised. Our
theme resonated
like yours, and we
felt great.
OUR★TEXAS 20 SPRING 2009 | www.ourtexas.com
Once we began, our hopes and months of dedication to this momentous event (especially from the Alphas, young Demo-crats and student government) were realized. As we neared the polls, we removed the tape in unison, and every single ballot cast was a symbolic scream for the change you promised. Our theme resonated like yours, and we felt great.
Many PV students became Obama volunteers. we knocked on doors, explained your vision and donated to your campaign online. we canvassed in the Iowa snow. we held seminars to educate others. yet your rally in houston clinched my com-mitment early and I became a state convention delegate. It’s your ability to relate to the full spectrum of the masses: elderly or not, Black or not, middle class or not, liberal or not. we listen to you and simultaneously feel a personal and collective con-nection. your ability to incor-porate every American facet in your vision helped me embrace “yes we Can.” I expect the same from you as POTUS. your eagerness to change America won’t tran-scend overnight, but I, like millions, feel apart of the same struggle.
As you enter the global arena, we at Prairie View, like the rest of Texas with a long history of social struggle, offer our advice and ex-pectations.
Student Body Prez Johnie Jones, a senior agriculture major, be-lieves people have “sacrificed jobs and lives to help you have this opportunity, so you owe it to us and America to manifest the vision — make the U.S. a conducive place for our people to be successful.” his VP Kenneth Grimes foresees you breaking “more barriers. No sacrifice, no victory.”
Sophomore history major Brad-ford Traywick expects his presi-dent to continue to “build alli-ances, reach across party lines and take the best and brightest for top posts throughout your first term.” So far, you done good!
International Relations Prof Mi-chael Nojeim expects you to “car-ry out campaign promises: govern on behalf of the American middle class, bring Americans together, demand sacrifice and hard work from all Americans, and to always tell us the truth.” his advise: “be honest, be yourself and continue as a confident, thoughtful and de-liberate man who seems to know how to make tough decisions. you’ll have to make far more than a normal president.”
Senior biology major dorian Price feels your accomplishments are a mere “glimpse of glory God has bestowed upon the human race to come together for some-thing bigger than petty differ-ences.”
Economics Prof Sonja Langley expects you to mend “international relations and education as they are downright dismal and embarrassing,” and get the “credit market functioning.”
My vote feels so integral to your decisions, your leadership, your policies and most significantly, America’s Voice. Soooo, Good Morn-ing. Stay true to your word and remain fly at all times… Style is a necessity!
Sincerely,
Charli Cooksey
PS. I collect my poli sci degree in May and consider going into law or serve in Teach for America. however, I’m ready to be vetted for any opportunity to work in your administration.
“My vote feels so integral to your decisions, your leadership, your policies and most significantly, America’s Voice. Soooo, Good Morning. Stay true to your word and
remain f ly at all times… Style is a necessity! ”
www.ourtexas.com | SPRING 2009 21 OUR★TEXAS
Every bid for public office needs a thousand, if not hundreds of thousands, foot soldiers. The higher the office, the greater the need for massive support.
Barack Obama’s 2008 “yes we Can” historic presi-dential run turned into a genuine movement. Folks nation-wide not only felt the need to get involved at any level, but volunteered in any capacity.
Even his extraordinary operation had a pecking order. There’s the upper rung for the powerful that beg the financial elite. No money, no campaign. his Internet-savvy plan banked over $600 million from $5 and $20 donors.
The next level(s) down had consultants, strategists, tacti-cians, etc. Surrogates here are more than likely well paid.
The bottom rung? The Few. The Proud. The Grunt. The True Believer with pizza-break perks.
yesCindy Andrew became one of them working in New Mexico,
part of a group nationwide so gigantic and enormous, media coined Obama’s numbers “ginormous.”
It wasn’t a difficult decision for the Dallas lawyer.
“I came to a point in my life where I could do something that I enjoyed without having to sacrifice my retirement or my eco-nomics,” the Fort worth native says. “I’m not postponing my career or putting it on hold. It’d be more like I’m on vacation for five weeks.”
The alternate delegate received an Obama eblast while at-tending the Denver Democratic convention. The general email requested volunteers to work in battleground states for five weeks.
Says Andrew: “That sounded kinda like fun, but I didn’t take it seriously until I got back. I watched the Republicans’ conven-tion and saw how they considered doing in 2008 what they did in 2000 and 2004, rely on people’s fears to vote Republican.
We“Personally, I felt that surge of fear from the convention and
thought, there’s a real chance that Obama won’t win. Even though the economy is bad. The war continues with no end. America has lost its standing in the world as the country to look to for justice and equality. It motivated me to think, do I want to go to one of these battleground states to help him win? I thought about my finances and whether I could afford
A lawyer commits to a moment in presidential history, revs up for
battleground New Mexico, and has funThe Recruit
OUR★TEXAS 22 SPRING 2009 | www.ourtexas.com
to leave my job. I talked to my sister, Frankie, about where I was in my life, stepping outside the box. I prayed about it.”
Andrew, 38, gave notice on September 9 about five days after making her decision that ended her seven years as a trial lawyer at Jones Day, a prestigious firm with offices in 14 cities nationwide and 14 other countries. She and other colleagues were impressed with Obama when they first heard him at a harvard event in 2005.
She first considered the long vetting process of forms, resume and references overkill since she was just volunteering. Then, she says, “in less than a week life changed: from studying briefs, writing mo-tions, and prepping clients for trial to packing up enough clothes, getting folks to check on my house, and preparing for the unknown ins-and-outs of campaign work. To living in a home with folks I’d never met, whose only link to my lifestyle is the single desire to eat and sleep details, forecasts, strategies and revisions. All in order to have the same guy lead the country. huh, only in America.”
She became a deputy field organizer in Albuquerque.
Andrew has been involved in presidential campaigns since Michael dukasis’ in 1988, but never to this extent. She’s consider-ing a memoir.
CanSupporters don’t usually quit their jobs and become full time cam-
paign workers either, primarily because they feel they can’t afford to financially. That’s giving up too much.
“well I could afford to not work for five to six weeks. My skills won’t suffer. I’m not married and have no children. Perhaps it’d be different if I had them.”
She loves history and is adamant that historians can point to a time where great civilizations peaked before they declined. For her, the country is built on very simple and pragmatic principles of liberty, justice and equality. She wanted to do her part to preserve them.
It Was PersonalCindy Andrew thinks what she did isn’t
unusual. She says people who say they’ll quit their jobs to become presidential cam-paign full-time volunteers often do. Call it quit to volunteer, or “QTV.”
She believes she’s heard stories of whites that QTV in mainstream media.
“I know I’m not the only Black person who did what I was doing,” contends Andrew, who says she knows at least one more. “I’ve heard, ‘so-and-so and so-and-so and so-and-so are doing the same thing.’ “
“I don’t have any idea,” says senior po-litical analyst david Bositus of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in washington, D.C. “It’s not the kind of things that anyone in systemic studies would ever
study.” he says a survey earlier this year suggested we’re more involved in this cam-paign on average than white Americans.
ConnectedThose most likely to get involved appear
politically connected.
legislative Aide Ahmad Goree says he took a leave of absence from state Senator Royce West’s office to support Obama in South Carolina.
State Senator Rodney ellis‘ sister and two staffers worked in Obama’s campaign. he’s been in politics for 33 years and says he’s never personally known anyone, white or otherwise, to QTV.
Leon Buck, chief of staff for U.S. Rep She-lia Jackson-Lee, says it’s done, but he’s not privy to that happening often in Texas.
“People need to know it’s great experi-ence,” ellis insists. “The skill-sets they get make them greater marketable candidates.”
Dallas political consultant Kathy Nealy agrees that a volunteer “learns to look at politics from an entirely different perspec-tive—state-by-state, city-by-city, etc.
Awesome“Folks like Andrew often make their com-
munity a little better,” Nealy advises. “This ‘free’ internship develops skills to help folks consider public office. Sometimes we don’t get involved because we don’t feel invited, or our issues aren’t being addressed. I’m just glad all of us don’t think that way.”
Goree says if someone can leave her career for a historic presidential campaign, that’s a powerful person.
Ron Kirk in d.C.?President Barack Obama nominated Ron Kirk to be U.S.
Trade Representative, the nation’s chief trade negotiator. The former Dallas mayor is the only Texan tapped for the Cabinet by the new president.
As trade representative, kirk’s office negotiates directly with foreign governments to create trade agreements, resolve disputes and participate in global trade policy organizations.
his nomination needs Senate confirmation.
Kirk was mayor of Dallas from 1995 to 2002. he previously was the Secretary of the State of Texas. had his 2002 cam-paign for the U. S. Senate succeeded against John Cornyn, along with Barack’s win in 2005, the nation would have enjoyed another first: two Black senators.
CampaignSpeakThe eager recruit thought “deputy field organizer” meant to assist
in organizing field events. Actually, Andrew carried out instructions “devised, planned, and organized by others.” She canvassed neighbor-hoods, assembled canvassing packets for said neighborhoods, and mastered the front office phone greeting: “Campaign for change, how can I help you.”
disturbia
Free housing meant an older couple’s two-bedroom house. her digs included a shrine to their son: a dusty childhood Teddy bear collection that kept her in a sneezing frenzy. Countless spider webs blanketed everything.
Transportation was public transit. her morning exercise came often when she jogged down those buses whose drivers she suspects noticed her Obama pin.
www.ourtexas.com | SPRING 2009 23 OUR★TEXAS
1893The Texas Freeman, founded in houston by Lilla and Charles Love, advocated annulment of the Jim Crowism, equal pay for Black teachers, the hiring of Black postal workers. Clifton Frederick Richardson, Sr. published the Houston Informer from 1919 until January 3, 1931. Carter W. Wesley formed the Houston Informer and Texas Freeman, considered to be the oldest Black newspaper published west of the Mississippi and created a newspaper chain in Texas, louisiana, and Alabama. Its printing company employed 1,500 people at the time and credited with starting many writing careers. Also published semi-weekly. Pluria Marshall has published the Informer and Texas Freeman since the 1990s. [email protected]
1930sThe Houston Defender, established by publisher C. F. Richardson, Sr., focused on important socio-economic issues until his death in 1939. The family published until 1981 when Sonceria “Sonny” Messiah-Jiles became publisher. In 1993 the paper launched the Campus Defender, a bi-monthly middle and high school paper. It became an online publica-tion in 2008. www.defendernetwork.com, [email protected]
1947The Dallas Post Tribune began as Tyler Tribune, published by Bert Muse. he moved to Dallas in 1950, renamed it Star Post, owned by a corpo-ration. In 1962 ownership changed again to about eight individuals, prominently T.R. Lee, Jr. as publisher. www.dallasposttrib.com, [email protected]
1950 The San Antonio Snap News was founded in 1950 by publisher/photog-rapher Eugene Coleman. Publisher wayman Griffin took over in 2007. [email protected]
1954The Dallas Weekly was founded by publisher Anthony T. davis until his death in 1985. James A. Washington became publisher and editor. www.dallasweekly.com, [email protected]
1957The LaVida News, the Ebony Voice was founded in Fort worth by pub-lisher Audrey Pruitt, and continues with publishers Ted and Rhonda Pruitt.
1960The Elite News was founded in Dallas by publisher William “Bill” Blair. The recent Negro league Baseball Museum inductee originally began with Southwest Sports News in 1949. his son Jordan is publisher. www.dfwelitenews.com, [email protected]
The Houston Forward Times was founded by publisher Julius P. Carter. his widow, Lenora, became publisher on his death in 1971. www.forwardtimes.com, [email protected]
1973The Villager began in Austin by publisher Tommy Wyatt in Austin. www.austinvillager.com, [email protected]
1977The Southwest Digest began in lubbock by co-publishers T.J. Patterson and eddie P. Richardson. www.southwestdigest.com
1983The Houston Sun was started by Dorris and lonal Robinson. www.houstonsun.com, [email protected]
1986The South Texas Informer was started in Corpus Christi by publisher Beverly Winters, who died in 2008.
1987The Nokoa-The Observer was founded in Austin by publisher Akwasi evans. www.nokoatheobserver.com, [email protected]
1989The African Herald was established in Dallas by publisher Dr. Richard Nwachukwu. www.AfricanHerald.com, [email protected]
The Houston Style Magazine was founded and is owned by Minority Print Media. Francis Page, Jr. is publisher and CEO. his dad, Francis, Sr. began the Houston Newspages in 1982 until his death in 2001. www.stylemagazine.com, [email protected]
The San Antonio Informer was established by 1989 by publishers Virginia and Tommy Moore, and has been co-owned since 1993 by son, Gregg, managing editor/web-
The Black Press statewide
Voices continued on page ......................26
OUR★TEXAS 24 SPRING 2009 | www.ourtexas.com
Hattie Kelly, publisher of the Power Pages News in Farmersville, northeast of Dallas, and president of the Texas Publishers Association.
TPA’s membership is about 16 publishers and services 27 news-papers, Kelly says. It reaches, as a media-
buying group, about 2.5 million readers, a selling point to its advertisers, she adds.
Other views: “Our audience may not under-stand the hard work that goes into publish-ing. I mean, we’re all about news and boost-ing up our children’s achievements as a public service. As for improvements, quite of few of us need to make our publications a lot more appealing graphically, but we’re doing a lot better.”
InsIde edItIon Editors Note: Candid publishers challenge themselves and readers on the Black Press.
Akwasi evans, former political activist, publishes of Nokoa/the Observer in Austin:
evans insists that our greatest weakness is “economic reciproc-ity. Advertisers don’t actively seek the dol-lars our readers spend. They don’t earn those dollars by taking them for granted. The Rod-
ney Dangerfield Syndrome. Consumers have been manipulated by white media over decades.”
he, like others, says whites also read Black papers, adding, “They respond by emails, phone calls and conversations in public. It’s a political, progressive approach with an Afrocentric perspective.”
Other points: “Unity and progress under-score the Black Press’ greatest strength. More young readers will use us when our products don’t make us ‘look and act old;’ give them more interesting stories; and hire them as reporters. write differently and less about racism. For example, ad-dress racism as chauvinism. ‘Post-Obama’ doesn’t mean a ‘post-racial’ society.”
Joycelyne Fadojutimi publishes the East Texas Review in longview:
Fadojutimi says technology is “our weak-ness. More of us need to acquire expert resources to perform work as experienced graphic or web designers and journalists. Some of us are neither degreed n
Other views: “Daily newspapers that cov-er minorities don’t have to be honest in what they do. Usually their readers don’t
question it. we provide an alternative source to readers. That’s our strength, a non-bias perspective. we cover the things that are very close to our audience. The press should take its audience to the world globally and bring the global village back to it. we’re in a post-racial society, which doesn’t mean racism or discrimination is no longer here.”
Thurman R. Jones, former TPA president, publishes of the North Dallas Gazette:
Jones believes that readers of the Black Press should always expect the same thing: “I need to be more informed as a result of reading it.”
Other views: “we’re always relevant when we have information that’s resourceful, helpful and impacts the lives of our read-ers. They should look for opportunities in
them but also shed the apathy.
“The white Press is bending over back-wards to give our readers a warm and fuzzy feeling with pictures and positive stories, but it won’t consistently advocate for our readers. It runs the risk of alienat-ing their base, whether it’s the Establish-ment, or the majority of white readers. A white publication that tries to be that dili-gent will lose its identity and be perceived differently.”
Gregory Moore is co-owner and man-aging editor/web-master of the San Antonio Informer, an online only Black weekly, likely the only one in Texas.
Moore changed to online only in early 2008 primarily to reduce printing costs, adding, we
“didn’t know precisely how many read-ers added after each printing.”
Other views: “The Black Press’ strength is that its readers enjoy reading and being intellectual. we have those who don’t like or want to be that way. Sometimes it’s hard for publishers to ac-tually strike a balance: to write for those looking for thoughtful content, and those who may get it and others who don’t want to read — it’s all about who’s in the pictures. So we cover the commu-nity that we say we cover and not try to be everything to everybody.”
Carl Booker, owner of Avista Products, a marketing compa-ny, started The Juice Your Entertainment Source to fill a void when the Clear Channel radio mo-nopoly pulled the plug on San Anto-nio’s only Black-ori-ented outlet.
Booker says the Black Press needs to be more of a “communicator, whether web, print and video. It’s gotta go where the people are. Demand for information is so great that by the time a written piece comes out, it already late. Timely events are very touchy, but storytelling will never go out of style. It’s timeless, like a novel.”
Other views: “we went online only in 2007. I make the same amount of profit online and lowered my biggest cost, print. Mainstream press still struggle to make a profit online and afford huge staffs. Agencies that verify circulation haven’t perfected online audits.”
www.ourtexas.com | SPRING 2009 25 OUR★TEXAS
Just Do ItBy Michael Todd
George Silvie has seen newspapers before or after they hit the street or go online. he’s
taught 17 years at UT Austin’s School of Journalism and spent the rest of his 32 years of experience in a newsroom as an editor, columnist, editorial writer and reporter. he’s authored books critical of the industry. here’s Dr. Silvie’s assessment:
StrengthThe Black Press adds insight and informa-tion about what occurs in the Black com-munity, something not available in main-stream press. These publications aid in the continuation of our culture and the quality of life, and educate us on issues, including civil rights. Otherwise, it would be like any other mainstream publication.
WeaknessIts historic role (to spread the faith) has lost
some distinction to other media like cable networks like BeT, local radio personalities, and syndicated talk show hosts.
Other media don’t have the history, insight and tradition on some issues like the Black Press. Many times their focus isn’t totally geared toward information, but oriented toward entertainment that dilutes an informative message. Entertainment often obscures the facts and accuracy of the mes-sage.
Own Worst enemy It has been in some ways: understaffed, ter-rible layouts and a terrible excuse to make money. Any industry will have bad prod-ucts. yet many are bona fide journalistic enterprises that try to do the right thing by informing their readership while making a living.
Fair AppraisalReaders and advertisers mistakenly equate a Black weekly’s quality and influence to a big city daily in Austin, Dallas or houston. A better comparison is a mid-size daily paper with 30,000 to 50,000 circulation distribut-ed over a small geographical, homogenous area.
Universities need to do a better job at keeping students interested in advertising, too. Otherwise it’s hard to get many trained advertising professionals at Black papers. It’s a viable profession at an advertising agency and to represent Black media to the agencies.
My GuideA paper does its job well when it has:
* Fresh local news not rehashed from the daily and quotes Black experts, officials, leaders and present that perspective.
* locally written columnists and reporters. It shows an investment in staff. It’s good to know what Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton says, but let’s read local opinions, and
* A solid, viable advertising base, though journalists don’t like it. Beside news, people read papers to get things they can use, like discounts or coupons.
There’s a hunger in our community for things other than politics, whether health, education, lifestyle-related matters and local sports. The Black Press can recognize those matters and answers to life’s daily issues.
Reach Michael Todd at [email protected]
master. It is an online only newspaper, maybe the only one in Texas. www.sainformer.net, [email protected]
1990The Examiner – Corsicana was started by publisher dairy G. Johnson, Sr. www.theexaminer.com, [email protected]
1991The Minority Opportunity News of Dallas was founded by publisher Thurman R. Jones. It was renamed North Dallas Gazette and moved to Plano in 2007. www.northdallasgazette.com, [email protected]
1995The Power Pages News was started by publisher Hattie Kelly in Farmersville, north of Dallas. Kelly has been president of the Texas Publishers Association since 2006. [email protected]
The San Antonio Observer published and became part of the Observer Newspaper Group that owns four others, including the San Antonio
Register (est. 1931), founded by Valmo Bellinger, and later published by edwin Glosson. www.saobserver.com, [email protected]
The Cherokee County Informer was started in Rusk by publishers Maxine and Walter Session. www.texasinformer.com, [email protected]
The East Texas Review was established in longview by publishers Joycelyne & Robert Fadojutimi. [email protected]
1997The Fort Worth Black News was started in Fort worth in 1997 by publisher Jill darden. Darden also publishes the Grand Prairie Black News, started in 2001 by her late mother, Chris Lott. Lott once published the wichita Falls Black News beginning in 1983. [email protected]
The African-American Reflections, a bi-monthly, began in San Antonio by publisher kathy Clay-little. [email protected], www.aarefections.com
The Smith County Herald began by publisher
Stephanie Johnson. It previous published under another name by her mother, Francis L. Pierce, in 1989. [email protected]
1998The Juice Your Entertainment Source was started in San Antonio by publisher Carl Booker. It became an online publication in 2007. www.thejuiceonline.com, [email protected]
2001The African American News & Issues was start-ed in houston by publisher Roy Malonson, www.aframnews.com, [email protected]
2002The Garland Journal News was founded by publisher Will Hobdy. Phalconstar News Group started in 2005 and owns The Kuumba Heritage News (est. 1994), Metroplex South Star, and The Balch Springs Sentinel. www.phal-constar.com, [email protected]
Voices continued from page ..................24
OUR★TEXAS 26 SPRING 2009 | www.ourtexas.com
A Tough Sell?By Ronald e. Childs
while it stands virtually alone as the proud, unfailing chronicler of Black lives, lifestyles, business, political and career success, the Black Press’ viability (and hence credibility) remains challenged today like no other.
while fulfilling its niche, the Black Press nonetheless faces very
distinct and formidable obstacles: notably the dearth of Texas-based Black and minor-ity advertising agencies fighting on their behalf for ad budgets—their life’s blood. Add this to an absence of ad agencies in general that just plain “get it.”
Good old-fashioned racial bias impacts a Black magazine’s or newspaper’s posi-tioning on newsstands, the number of issues carried and vendor reports of sales. Because of their usual stance of staunchly advocating for their audiences, many Black publications (talk-radio shows, too) are
viewed by potential advertisers as “radical” It’s not unheard of for marketers to shy away from placing their ads opposite such editorial.
No ScheduleSome attempt to dictate editorial policy and position for Black media, suggest-ing that advertising support depends upon neutrality—or else. Countless times unwritten client demands push canned articles be written and placed next to major brand ads, and editors are not at lib-erty to layout their publications as they see fit. In fact many brands don’t have regular ad schedules in your publications except during Black History Month with their logos conspicuously positioned next to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s image.
Perhaps advertisers don’t know or believe that readers value their publications. “Oh, I can assure you [readers] still see the value,” said Dr. James W. Ward, dean of the Tavis Smiley School of Communication at Texas Southern University. “Put out your news-paper anywhere and people will pick them up. They will be gone. So that’s a value. we want the information. we want to know who’s doing what, who’s been promoted, etc.”
Intangibles Countwhether we actually work in Black Press or merely consume it, if we’re honest with ourselves, we know that our press isn’t fairly evaluated when major white compa-nies measure its reach and effectiveness. These invaluable newspapers must also be weighed on the intangibles they offer—latent benefits that belie their circulation figures. If companies never bother to look beyond pure numbers, the playing field on ad revenue will never be leveled.
Though too often it goes underappreci-ated, our press continues to protect, cel-ebrate, praise and fight for us. like Black colleges, churches and museums, the Black Press in Texas and beyond is an historic institution that has earned our respect, and should command it from a nation. It’s on track and doing what it needs to do to survive. It’s long past time readers—and advertisers—gave it its due.
Childs, an award-winning journalist in Chicago and
a Hall of Fame grad at Grambling State University,
has been in advertising and marketing for over 15
years. He can be reached at: TheOMeN091959@aol.
com, or visit his website at
www.theomenonline.com.
Early Advocates1868: Galveston Freeman’s Journal (also Freedman’s Press), started by a white publisher James P. Newcomb1876: Austin Gold Dollar, published by John Fontaine. Supported political and social causes and emphasized family values and discipline of youth to battle rampant illiteracy, poverty and racial justice.
1879: Houston Van
1881: Houston Citizen (Houston Texas Citizen)
1886: Austin Texas Blade
1887: Galveston Freeman’s Journal, published by Richard Nelson
1887: Dallas Enterprise, Wharton Southern Monitor1888: Dallas Mutual Enterprise1889: Beaumont Recorder, Colmesneil Republican, Giddings Consolidated Colored Alliance1890: Dennison Texas Reformer, Lockhart New Test1890: Fort Worth Item, Galveston Argus, Forney Texas Hornet1891: Paris Living Age1892: Austin and San Antonio Texas Illuminator, San Antonio Tonguelet1893: Dallas Express, pub-lished by W. e. King. Publicized lynchings and other violence white media typically failed to report, attacked racial segrega-tion and voting restrictions, sought quality public schools
and equal pay, and elimina-tion of discrimination in police hiring practices, to name a few. Published till 1970
Texas Freeman, published by Lilla and Charles Love. he and subsequent publishers, C. F. Richardson, Sr. and Carter W. Wesley, continued to fight against racial injus-tice. Morphed into today’s Informer and Texas Freeman
Beaumont Echo, Houston Western Star
1894: Dallas Texas Protest, Victoria Guide, Waco Southern Herald
1895: Austin Texas Headlight
1897: Austin Silver Messenger, published by John Fontaine’s son, George. Also, Texarkana Inter-State Blade, and Wharton Elevator
1898: Sealy Austin County Enterprise
1898: Houston Free Lance
1898: Corsicana Oil City, Afro-American Waco Enterprise
1899: Bellville Reformer Timpson, Progressive Age
1897: Houston Afro-American
1898: Fort Worth Black Dispatch, Galveston City Times, Houston IndependentSOURCeS: The Texas State Historical Association and TSHA Online, Austin History Center, Center for American History, George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, Black Newspapers in Texas 1868 – 1970, Charles Grose, dissertation, 1972, and newspaper websites. County enterprise was not a true weekly, but more of a regional publication.
www.ourtexas.com | SPRING 2009 27 OUR★TEXAS
By Robert Stanton
I can’t believe it’s already been two decades since I joined the press corps in the mid-‘80s as a cub reporter at the Galveston Daily News. If I could do it all
over again, I would – in a heartbeat.
From my early days chasing ambulances and fire trucks as a police beat reporter, to covering the angry protests and execution of death row inmate Gary Graham in huntsville, I‘ve had a front-row seat to many of life’s main events.
After five years at the Daily News, I jumped at the chance to join the Houston Post in the mid-‘80s as a general assignments reporter. I was finally a big-city news reporter. It ended in 1995 when the hearst Corporation – owner of the rival Houston Chronicle – bought and then closed the 111-year-old Post. I eventually joined the Chronicle, where I’m a currently a reporter with the Neighborhood News sections.
The excitement I felt as a cub reporter was not far from my mind when I and thousands of journalists of color converged on Chicago for the Unity ’08 Convention It’s a collaborative effort between the four alliance partners of UNITy: the National Association of Black Journalists, and the associations for Asian American, Hispanic and Native American. Many young Black students would soon follow a path I chose.
Big Time
I’ve always had much respect for Sonceria “Sonny” Messiah-Jiles, publisher of the Houston Defender. I guess I must have been on her professional
radar screen as well. Sonny called me when the Post folded to offer me a job as news editor.
I didn’t hesitate. with a handshake and a hug,
I marked another milestone in my career: I was now a member of the fabled Black Press.
Sure, I’d covered contentious city council meetings, flew in an Apache attack helicopter to the deck of a battleship, mingled a few feet away from Nelson Mandela in houston, and even had the privilege of interviewing the Tuskegee Airmen. But nothing could prepare me the journalistic voyage I was about to take.
To be sure, I knew I had some big shoes to fill at the Defender – seasoned journalists that came before me like Marilyn Marshall, a former editor at Ebony magazine, and Roland S. Martin, who’s now a radio talk show host and CNN commentator.
But I was up for the challenge. It didn’t take me long to settle into my new groove, a transition made smoother by the many congratulatory calls from community leaders I knew from my urban affairs beat at the Post.
doin’ everything
The Black community welcomed me with open arms, and I quickly found myself on the A-list for special events: everything from art
openings to book readings to live music and more.
I rolled up my sleeves ready to work, and
I actually thought I was ready. But I found
myself scrambling to keep pace with the
issues impacting Black folks in the city. where
I had written maybe one or two stories a
week at The Post, I was now writing four to
five weekly.
while the Post had plenty of reporters and
editors to cover the news, I was now a one-
man show. I wrote the stories and headlines,
helped with the layout, developed story
ideas -- and just about anything else short of
delivering papers. The challenges didn’t end
there.
don’t Mess Up
while I was accustomed to
getting my calls quickly
returned at the Post, I was
often placed on hold when
I identified myself as a reporter at a Black
paper. “he’ll call you back,” was a constant
refrain from mainstream (read white)
organizations.
And the conversation around the water
cooler at a Black newspaper is seldom bland.
If I didn’t get my facts straight or dropped the
ball on an assignment, I might hear, “Nigga
please… are you serious?”
I don’t recall hearing it put quite like that at a
mainstream newspaper. One thing is certain:
when you work for the Black Press, you can
count on someone always keeping it real.
Unity ’08 has long ended. I think about the
future of the Black Press. It’s clear that more
young African-American journalists are
gravely needed to keep the vital role of the
Black Press going for future generations. The
cost of inaction is too much for us to afford.
The journalist and blogger lives in Galveston.
A Report: Nigga, PLease!
OUR★TEXAS 28 SPRING 2009 | www.ourtexas.com
Our Voice Needs WorkBy Alicia Gooden
The moments I spent riding to school in the back of our raggedy, old, white van with shag carpet on the floor and doors were certainly embarrass-
ing, but in the end proved quite auspicious. I had no idea then that syndicated news com-mentator Carl T. Rowan would leave such an enduring mark on my life.
Memories of listening to houston’s KCOH 1430 AM come as I recall Rowan’s distinc-tive voice and eloquent words. “The Rowan Report” was so powerful there was complete silence in the van. he inspired me to believe that words matter, a free press is fundamen-tal to a free society, and journalists of color must own courage and responsibility to tell the truth about our community –its glory and adversity.
Afterthought?
This is why the Black Press must work harder to overcome its greatest chal-lenge – becoming a first thought rather than an afterthought – to
readers, writers and advertisers. years ago when I told people where I worked, they’d either have their memories jogged by the name, as if surprised it was still around, or say they’d never heard of it.
I left the Black Press twice for mainstream because the writing, design, salary (nearly $15,000 more) and other benefits were bet-ter. I craved diversity. I wanted to debate issues with people of various races since their views were usually different. My opinions were more valued there; the opportunities for professional development were better; and pushback from me with my editors was not only appreciated but also expected. No “my way or the highway attitude” there.
The paper usually reflected varying writing styles and I felt good about seeing my byline. Going mainstream was a personal decision to enhance my professional career and, for me,
it was the right one. however, I’ve never lost my appreciation for the work the Black Press does for us.
Ignored
what’s reaffirming about the Black Press is that it knows how to fight, and no other group is as uniquely qualified to tell
our stories. For hundreds of years, when mainstream newspapers ignored us, our communities found the stories important to us within the pages of our own papers, writ-ten by our own people, championing our own causes and exposing our own hurts. we stopped looking for others’ permission and acceptance that our stories were worth tell-ing and showed the world that its permission and acceptance were no longer sought or required.
I worked in the mainstream press, too. Today both face similar challenges: declining read-ership, lower revenue and higher expenses. The difference is that the mainstream press usually has more talent, business expertise and creativity to combat changes that inevi-tably come from technological and economic shifts.
we’ve always worked harder to get our sto-ries told. we’re victorious in the face of great obstacles and challenges, like fewer advertis-ing dollars and subscriptions, which lead to less revenue. The pool of talent is smaller because the best usually expects (and should expect) more.
Regroup
The Black Press has persevered, but years of struggle may have given way to lax standards. Too many publications still have errors new
technology prevents, and little to no editorial
content geared toward young people and young professionals. Publishers must create or upgrade technological infrastructure like its mainstream counterparts to build cred-ibility as serious contenders for advertising dollars. It’s a tiring fight, but the Black Press must not retreat, just regroup.
Revenue must be used smarter and more efficiently. Investments in technology for online publications must sometimes be made over the costs of printing paper edi-tions. Salaries and contract rates must be more competitive, and the search for and use of talent must be more creative. Publishers must listen to their younger staff members more, a problem which caused me over the years to become disenchanted with the idea of ever working solely for the Black Press again.
In a time of economic uncertainty and insti-tutional racism (even Post-Obama), a delicate alchemy must develop for the Black Press to stay solvent, competitive and significant.
The race for creativity and innovation in today’s multimedia world is fierce and real. The Black Press must be a part of the race, demand a place at the table or create its own. what will be ugly is if we’re not in the race and have no voice at the table. Then our roles in the media and efforts to control our message will be reduced and eventually obsolete.
Gooden began at the Houston Defender as a Campus Defender school correspon-dent in 1993, and a journalist for several papers, including the Oakland Tribune. She’s a senior writer for a Houston inter-national contracting firm and hosts a blog, http://conflictingviewpoints.blog-spot.com.
www.ourtexas.com | SPRING 2009 29 OUR★TEXAS
By Cheryl Smith
My 93-year-old aunt Caroline Jones has subscribed to the bi-weekly Florida Sentinel for years and looks forward to reading it
every Tuesday and Friday. her daughter Alice, 50ish, said they have received the paper at home for “40 or 50” years even though they could pick it up at the corner store.
“when the paper hits the doorstep some-body is on their way to pick it up,” the daugh-ter said. “we fight over it because we’re trying to see what’s going on with Black people.”
That’s one reason the Black Press remains popular, along with a mistrust of the main-stream press, according to a report released by the Project for excellence in Journalism. The report noted that Black Press publications “hold an advantage: devoted readers who trust them above other outlets.”
The younger Jones agreed. ”If the Sentinel prints something, it’s true,” she said, adding that some of the most important sections of the newspaper are news, sports and the
obituaries. “It’s also good for gossip. I read it for the Soaps, and to keep up with the Black people—especially politicians. The Sentinel also does the club scene. They do a good job keeping us up with everything that’s going on.”
Loyal, OlderThe Jones family is typical of the loyal read-
ers that are referred to in the report. They’re “older than the desired 18-34 year-old demo-graphic—and getting older.”
For years listeners to Reporters Round-table on Black-oriented kkDA-AM in Dallas have urged support for the Black Press and its advertisers. Clearly with the decline in circula-tion for hundreds of newspapers, mainstream and the Black Press, there’s cause for concern. Several major newspapers across the country had layoffs, buyouts and seen their pages dwindle significantly, attributed to the Inter-net’s popularity. listeners have praised the publications, but also delivered scathing criti-cism in spirited conversations.
National effort
The National Newspaper Publish-ers Association, the umbrella orga-nization for over 200 Black-owned newspapers, took steps, especially
in the past decade, to focus on the editorial content in its member publications. George Curry, then editor-in-chief, raised the profile of the organization significantly as NNPA be-gan aggressively competing with its main-stream counterparts.
“It was significant for us to be represented in Darfur,” said Curry. he was also responsi-ble for including editorial content sessions at NNPA conventions to improve publications.
Norma Adams-Wade understands the Black Press’ pitfalls and challenges and applauds it for the vast improvement over the years. The veteran journalist’s distinguished career at The Dallas Morning News got its start at the Dallas Post Tribune. The journalist worked at the Post Tribune in advertising and as a writer. her move to the Morning News made her only the second Black staff writer after Julia Scott Reed.
“The Black Press has never lost its value of al-lowing us to tell our own story our own way,” she says, noting that competing with daily publications is an age-old problem for Black papers.
“Traditionally the story gets told after the fact, but it allows us to have a tangible keep-sake to go into our family records. we can compare our way with the way it is presented in mainstream.”
Valuable Record
Adams-Wade compares cover-age in the Black Press with main-stream. “I personally have done it many times,” she said. “Oftentimes
there are errors and late exposure of the story. It’s still a historical document from our own people and it’s a value no other media can present.”
when CNN contributor and TV One politi-cal analyst and commentator Roland Martin talks about his career, he recalls his stints at Black publications— the Houston Defender, Dallas Weekly and Chicago Defender.
Martin encourages journalists to work on their brand and explore the possibilities in the Black Press. he insists that journalists working for the Black Press are just as concerned and “qualified” as those in mainstream. “I’m proud of the work that I’ve done in the Black Press,” he says.
“In recent decades, the Black Press has done a yeoman’s job of coming up to snuff,” says Adams-wade. “I remember some of the old rags. The ones today are far better. with the use of technology and the efforts to produce visually appealing publications, and the fact that we have been able to hang on for many decades, says we have a pretty good chance of holding on.
“The fact that we’re still here says a lot about the strength of our community!”
Smith, executive editor of the dallas Weekly, has worked at newspapers, white and Black. She is executive producer and host of Reporters Roundtable and a Paul Quinn College professor.
Readers Love ‘em Anyway
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George Mcelroy1922—2006
George Mcelroy, who died in houston at 84, was well known as a columnist, editor and journalism teacher.
During a long career, Mcelroy interviewed world figures, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Fidel Castro. he collected numerous honors, including a lifetime achievement award from the Houston Association of Black Journalists.
Mcelroy got his first newspaper job at 16, writing a youth column for the Informer.
years later he returned and edited the newspaper weekly during the 1990s. After earning his masters’ degree, he became the first Black person with a journalism degree to teach journalism in houston high schools. he later
taught at the University of Houston and Texas Southern University.
McElroy became the first to earn a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and the first Black columnist to write for the defunct Houston Post in the 1970s.
Sonceria Messiah-Jiles, publisher of The Houston Defender, said she planned to attend law school until she took McElroy’s journal-ism class at the University of houston.
She said his articles were the “only exposure the general market had to a Black perspec-tive back in the time when very few people had the opportunity or the access to hear the other side.”
Clarence “Scoop” Gentry1916—2009
Clarence Henry “Scoop” Gentry chroni-cled Texas.
he held many positions in the Black Press from reporter to newspaper manager. he regularly work around discrimination to get his stories. Mr. Gentry worked or wrote for the Dallas Express, the Dallas Post Tribune and the Houston Informer. he worked with other pioneers, including photographer R.C. Hickman and reporter Julia Scott Reed dur-ing a near 60-year career.
Gentry’s career met discriminatory con-ditions with tactics to maneuver around them. In 1948, at 32, he became one of the first Black reporters in Jim wells County to
covered Lyndon Johnson’s bid for the U.S. Senate in southeast Texas. On several occasions he was barred from either downtown hotels or their rooms to interview VIPs. Nonetheless the resourceful reporter phoned Republican presidential candidate
Wendell Willkie for an interview in 1940 and got it when the candidate escorted him to his room. he sought to interview Democratic vice presidential candidate estes Kefauver at the Baker hotel in houston in 1956. hotel officials stopped him from visiting kefauver’s
room and only allowed him to interview in the lobby.
Gentry moved to houston in 1990 and wrote a column, “Dateline Dallas,” for the Informer. In 2002, he returned to Dallas.
“he was a newspaperman from the very beginning,” said his daughter dorothy Gentry of Dallas. “he had an insatiable curi-osity. he just wanted to know everything.”
“It was exciting to hear Clarence Gentry relate his many experiences with the Black Press,” said Norma Adams-Wade, former Dallas Morning News reporter and current columnist. “he brought those moments alive and made you feel that you were there.”
Gentry died in Dallas at 93.
Julia Scott Reed1917--2004
In 1951 Julia Scott Reed started her career at age 34 at The Dallas Express, one of the Black Press’ prominent weekly in Texas. There she honed her reporting and photography skills and eventually became city editor. She covered many historic events, including the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that brought an end to segregation on public transportation. She was also present when Jack Ruby killed Lee Harvey Oswald, the prime suspect
in President John Kennedy’s assas-sination.
her “News and Views” reports were aired on KNOK radio for eight years. In July 1967 Reed, now 50, was hired as a full-time by the Dallas Morning News and became the first
African-American writer there and was one of the initial journalists to work in an all-white, predominately male newsroom of a main-stream paper in the South.
She died in Dallas at 87.
Gayle Coleman donated her mother’s papers, photographs and awards to the Archives of women in the Southwest in the DeGolyer library at Southern Methodist University in dallas. There’s more at www.juliascottreed.com.
Their eyewitness reports added to our history. here are three legends whose pioneering journalistic careers enriched the Black Press.
I began writing opinion pieces and dropping them off early
in the morning over the transom of the second oldest Black
weekly in the city, the San Antonio Snap News. Shy as I am now,
I didn’t want to have to face people at the paper, give them
my manuscript and have them tell me they didn’t want it.
Every column I dropped off would magically appear in print in the
newspaper’s latest edition. Eventually, Mr. (eugene) Coleman, the
publisher, called me at home requesting a picture to run with my
column. I politely declined yet he continued to publish everything I
wrote.
In 1989 when a new Black weekly called the San Antonio Informer
came to town, I began writing columns and news stories for its pub-
lishers, Tommy and Virginia Moore. I didn’t make a dime writing
for the Snap News and not much more than that for the Informer but
without that invaluable experience I wouldn’t have the career I’ve
been blessed with.
Always There
Ever since John Russwurm’s and Samuel Cornish’s
Freedom’s Journal, the Black Press has been one of the
most vital and powerful institutions in our community. It
not only hired writers and photographers the white Press
wouldn’t but it was a constant and fearless advocate of social justice
and providing a comprehensive and balanced coverage of Black com-
munities that the white newspapers refused to advocate.
Indeed, longer and more constant than any institution in our com-
munity, the Black Press has led the struggle for political and social
change. From fighting for abolition of slavery to the 1965 Voting
Rights Act, the Black Press was there. It was there when exposing the
barbarity of lynching, urging Southern Blacks to seek new opportuni-
ties up North, and pressuring major league baseball to dismantle its
color barrier.
yes, at its worst, the Black Press sensationalized crimes with
screaming headlines about murders, but more often than not it was
at its best in not only being a tribune for Black people but also in
knitting the bonds of community by letting readers know what was
going on in their communities, who graduated with honors, who was
speaking at this and that church, what issues should concern us, how
we could act, who got hired, and who died and when and where the
funeral would be held.
The Black Press has always been there but I do worry how long
“there” will be. I worry yet, in my heart, I feel it will.
Tough Time
The newspaper business is on permanent life-support. It
will never die but never will it be a vibrant business with
different newspapers in the same city competing for the
reader’s attention.
Newspapers are finding and will continue to find new life with its
websites because people, even if they don’t think so, will always have
a need for news.
The Black Press, like the rest of the newspaper industry, may find
it difficult to survive, but because it offers news and a sense of com-
munity that its readers may not be able to get anywhere else, it will
survive. Its public service and entrepreneurial-minded editors, some
of whom have already developed websites, may not have the finan-
cial resources of metropolitan dailies but they have a unique history
and provide a service that no one else can.
But as it is with all newspapers, we must develop a love for news-
papers, magazines and news in young people not only because it’s to
their benefit to be informed but to also garner a new generation of
readers.
Indebted
My debt to the Black Press is intensely personal
because Black newspaper publishers gave me a
chance that white newspaper publishers weren’t
willing to give. It was in the pages of the Black Press
that I was able to find my voice and find a career.
Each of us, in some way, are indebted to the Black Press and must
continue to repay that debt by supporting it, especially those in our
communities.
For nearly 200 hundred years, the Black Press has stood up and
spoken for us. we owe it to them and their survival, as well as to our-
selves, to stand up for them by continuing to read them.
Clack receives email at [email protected] in San Antonio.
Why You, Why NowBy Cary Clack
mYturnC A R y C l A C k
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