T E X A S
MetroNews DELIVERING NEWS YOU NEED
• Vol. 10 • Feb. 9 - Feb. 15, 2023
MY TRUTH By Cheryl Smith PUBLISHER
Expressing a Father's Love! Everyone is not fortunate enough to know or experience the love of a father or father figure. Sure, we’ve heard the jokes about Father’s Day versus Mother’s Day when there appears to be a clear disparity in the gift giving arena. Many athletes have smiled for the cameras and said “Hi Mom” or declared that as soon as they became a professional athlete, they were going to “buy Mom a house.”
The Real Chill Clarence Hill Jr. and Sr.
In times of distress, like in the cases of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin who was beaten and murdered by George Zimmerman, 46-year-old George Floyd who died as Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck, and most recently Tyre Nichols brutally beaten by several officers and later dying from those injuries; they all called out for their mothers. Fathers are equally important and necessary in our lives. Unfortunately two many children die without ever knowing their fathers or knowing a father’s love. And sadly too many men die never knowing that they had planted a seed, that they’d See MY TRUTH, page 3
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Black Press Kicks Off Black History Month with Annual Conference
By Sylvia Dunnavant Hines
Texas Metro News Correspondent
Digital workshops, collaborations and discussions about new ways to do business were all part the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) Mid-Winter Conference in San Juan, PR, last week. Initially scheduled for St. Thomas Virgin Islands, due to damage to the host property following the latest hurricane, NNPA leadership operated on a quick turnaround providing attendees what many are calling “one of the best conferences ever.” Gen Z, Millennials, journalists working for the so-called mainstream media and Black owned media put aside all gaps to have a meaningful exchange regarding keeping the Black Press relevant and true to its mission. “As we celebrate 196 years of the Black Press, it is very important that we continue moving our organization forward,” said Karen Carter-Richards, NNPA Chairperson and owner of Houston Forward Times. “The Black Press is needed more today than ever before.”
Carter-Richards shared how the historic Houston Forward Times partnered with Nike and artist Jeremy Biggers to create a mural honoring basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes, who was the first player to be signed in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), where she won three WNBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards (2000, 2002, and 2005); and four WNBA titles (1997-2000) as a member of the Houston Comets. This partnership helped the Forward Times to generate $12,000 in revenue and Carter-Richards encouraged publishers to think outside the box as they seek new revenue streams in this challenging financial climate. Westside Gazette Publisher Bobby Henry, who like Carter-Richards is a second-generation publisher, also praised the conference, "The sessions were very beneficial and provided information that we can take back to our newsrooms to make our products and businesses stronger." The four-day conference brought together publishers and journalists from across the country to focus on not only learning
Chelsea Lenora White, singer/writer from the Houston Forward Times, shares information during the Gen Z and Millennial workshop on how to get young people involved with efforts to reach Black communities.
more about navigating in a world that is becoming more and more digital-focused, but also keeping Black communities informed and empowered. The underlying message throughout the conference was See BLACK PRESS KICKS OFF, page 8
Presidents Call for Unity Between NABJ and NNPA By The Texas Metro News Team San Juan, PR - It was a moment in history that ironically happened on the second day of Black History Month. Two leaders of organizations gathered to discuss how their missions were similar and they needed to work together to better serve Black communities, journalists and the industry. The discussion laid the groundwork for future moments as Black Journalists and Black Publishers under the leadership of Presidents Dorothy Tucker of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and Dr. Ben Chavis of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) made a commitment to work together. During a fireside chat at the NNPA’s mid-winter conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the two leaders, joined by NNPA Chair Karen Carter Richards, discussed a decades old issue where publishers felt that
NNPA's Dr. Ben Chavis and NABJ's Dorothy Tucker
Black journalists working for the so-called mainstream media, or white press, acted as though they were better than those in the “Negro Press.” Tucker read from a letter from NNPA addressed to founding NABJ president Chuck Stone in 1977, outlining perceived slights by the newly-established NABJ. Members of NNPA said they felt snubbed by Black journalists who received their jobs
in the "mainstream" through the efforts of Black publishers and activists who advocated on their behalf only for them to get jobs and look down on them. Now 46 years later, the two organizations' leadership says the time is now to heal, to focus on their missions and discuss the importance of and value that each brings to the industry and their communities. “Our voices have to be unified” said Chavis, who was a political prisoner when the letter was written. “We’re bringing justice, equality and equity.” Noting that it has been years since the two officially attended one another’s convention, Chavis committed to being in Birmingham for NABJ’s Convention in August and NABJ will be represented at NNPA’s convention in June. The two presidents also discussed collaborating on programming at respective conventions and regional conferences. See NABJ AND NNPA, page 3