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Since the first issue rolled off the press in 1971, the Westside Gazette newspaper has maintained the professional, insightful and reader sensitive reporting that has gained the trust and respect of South Florida’s African American community.

In its relenting effort to empower the community with information, the Westside Gazette newspaper has remained sensitive to the special needs of its readers.

Publisher Bobby Henry said the newspaper’s belief is that the most potent tool with which to face the challenges and opportunities of this new century is the dissemination of information.

As Broward County’s oldest and largest African American-owned and operated newspaper, Henry said it’s the newspaper’s responsibility to inform, education, and reinvest in the Black community.

In observing the 195th anniversary of the Black Press of America in 2022, Henry described the mission of his newspaper and the Black Press as a spiritual one.

He offered the following:

We are forever indebted because of God’s grace and mercies as He protected, provided for, nourished and put in place that which we needed to continue over these 51 years.

For those (Levi and Yvonne Henry) to whom God granted the vision to plant the seed (Westside Gazette) and those who work in the vineyard (everybody that ever worked, wrote, lend a hand, offered an encouraging word, even the naysayers) to the ones who offered fertilizers (advertisers) that kept us going and all of the benefactors, we thank you with all of the promises that God has given to us and ask for your unending support!

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That which is worth having is worth fighting for.

As I look back over the 51 years of our involvement in the dissemination of information to our readers, I am overwhelmed and bursting with joy of how the community has supported us and how God has shown us favor.

It is not always a pleasurable chore to serve and to be a servant.  What appears to be a joyful moment of basking in bliss quickly fades away faster than a snowflake over an open campfire.

Be that as it may, we are honored to be in the business of ‘Pleading our on cause’ as ‘Soldiers without swords.’

We vow to continue to be a preeminent example of the Black Press of America no matter how ‘Stony the road we trod’ or having feet no less beautiful than those who preach or print the gospel.

Throughout our 51 years, one thing has been for certain:  The loyal commitment of our readers and advertisers to support this publication.

There was not a whole lot of advertising in Black newspapers, so they were able to stay in business because Black people supported them literally by buying the papers off the streets.

Now is the time when every Black organization, like churches, NAACP, Urban League, Fraternities, Sororities, Lodges, Orders, Clubs, Associations, must come together to support each other and their causes.

Relationships, which have been the cornerstone of the Black community and the Black Press for 195 years, have always been its messenger in cementing that bond.

Thank you all for everything that you have done. It has made us who we are. We embrace and affectionately cherish these 51 years of mutual respect, admiration and responsibility to our readers, supporters and the advertisers that understand and welcome the true spirit of reciprocity.

‘And the Lord said, who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?’    Luke 12:42 (KJV)

Yes, we have been blessed for 51 years and counting. Therefore, we must be a blessing to others, and we will as long as God sees fit to be in the blessing business.

From the family of the Westside Gazette, those who come by blood and those who may have come through the backdoor, those born and yet unborn may we always remember, understand, and appreciate Deuteronomy 8:3:

‘And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word[a] that comes from the mouth of the Lord.’– (Amplified Bible)

The post 195 Years of the Black Press: Westside Gazette Publisher Bobby Henry’s Spiritual Journey first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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By Shelly Haskins

Kayla Heard of Mobile went to Tuskegee University to study architecture. Now in her third year, she has developed a passion and career interest in historic preservation.

Kayla Heard of Mobile was among six architecture students at Tuskeegee University to take part in a national historic preservation project on campus this summer. (Tuskegee University)

The beauty of studying at the only HBCU school designated National Historic Site is that her college campus is also a hands-on classroom.

In August, Heard and five other Tuskegee architecture students were selected to participate in a national historic preservation program developed by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Heard and her classmates became a National Trust for Historic Preservation HOPE Crew (Hands On Preservation Experience), and spent two weeks meticulously restoring windows in Tuskegee’s Willcox E Building. The Tuskegee Hope Crew includes architecture students Heard, Trenton Scott, Rikeya Wallace, Domonique Jiles, Ty’kwon Summerville, and Tyler Littles.

Prior to working on their own campus, the students traveled with Daniels to learn about historic landscapes, heritage areas, 3-D laser scanning, and the research work done at the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

They also studied at the National Park Service’s Western Center for Historic Preservation, in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and spent time at the Bar BC Dude Ranch, established in 1912. There they completed the “Guiding Principles for Historic Preservation,” a course on field-based historic preservation, documentation, hands-on treatment, and heritage asset maintenance planning.

Heard said she jumped at the opportunity to take part in the program when her professor brought it to her.

“I pretty much take any opportunity that’s given to me,” she said. “I heard travel, I heard learning new stuff, and I said, ‘Sign me up.”

Katherine Malone-France, chief preservation officer at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said working at Tuskegee University, founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington, was an opportunity both for the historic preservation organizations and the students who did the work.

“HOPE Crew provides an opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of the next generation of preservation leaders, while at the same time, addressing critical maintenance and preservation needs at some of America’s most important historic places,” said Malone-France. “We’re excited to be here at one of America’s foremost HBCU campuses to participate in this partnership and give these students an opportunity to see first-hand how they can make a difference in preserving historic places.”

Shelly Haskins writes about points of pride statewide. Email your suggestions to shaskins@al.com, or tweet them to @Shelly_Haskins using #AlabamaProud.

This article originally appeared in The Westside Gazette.

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By Globe Newswire

Hafsat Abiola is one of three honorees selected for the National Civil Rights Museum’s 28th Annual Freedom Award to held on October 30. Honorees are selected for their many achievements and contributions on a national and global scale in the name of equality, social justice and freedom for all. Other 2019 honorees include musician and social activist, John Legend and author and feminist organizer, Gloria Steinem.

Hafsat Abiola, president and CEO of Women in Africa, is a noted Nigerian human and civil rights activist.  Since age 19, she has been working to ensure democracy and economic fairness in Nigeria in the name of her deceased mother and father. An evolving changemaker in both Nigeria and the United States, Abiola uses her global platforms to empower women through training and leadership development and strengthen civil society in Nigeria and other African countries through her founding organization, KIND.

“In spite of adversity, Hafsat Abiola, has labored on the civil rights frontlines in Nigeria from a young age, and we are excited to honor her with The Freedom Award,” said Terri Lee Freeman, National Civil Rights Museum president. “Her dedication to the work of maintaining democracy and freedom in her country and beyond reflects her story of resilience.”

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Additionally, Freedom Award will pay tribute to the Green Book, also known as the Negro Travelers’ Green Book, that identified safe accommodations and services for African Americans traveling during the Jim Crow Era, which included the Lorraine Motel, the current site of the National Civil Rights Museum.

Over the past 27 years, the National Civil Rights Museum has presented The Freedom Award to some of the most lauded civil and human rights leaders and history makers in the world, including Coretta Scott King, President Nelson Mandela, The Dalai Lama, President Bill Clinton, President Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rosa Parks, Bono, Secretary of State Colin Powell, President Oscar Arias, President Mary Robinson, Paul Rusesabagina, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Tom Brokaw, Frank Robinson, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Bernard Lafayette, Marlo Thomas, Usher Raymond, Bill Frist, Dolores Huerta, Rev. James Lawson, Cicely Tyson, Rev. Samuel “Billy” Kyles, Kirk Whalum, Southern Poverty Law Center, Susan Taylor, Rev. C.T. Vivian, Alonzo Mourning, Danny Glover, Julius “Dr. J” Ervin, Eva Longoria Parker, Dr. Dorothy Cotton, Dr. Wangari Maathai, Vice President Al Gore, Diane Nash, B.B. King, John Hope Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Ava DuVernay, Swin Cash, Benjamin Crump, Tawakkol Karman, Soledad O’Brien, The Honorable Damon Keith, Rev. Bernice A. King, Hugh Masekela, Morris Dees, Vice President Joe Biden, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., Pitt Hyde and others.

The Freedom Award presenting sponsors are International Paper, FedEx Corporation, Hyde Family Foundations, Ford Motor Company and First Tennessee Foundation. Tickets and sponsorships are available at freedomaward.org.

This article originally appeared in The Westside Gazette.

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