Thirty-four years ago, I began a journey that I could never have fully imagined would bring me to this moment.
When I started publishing community newspapers in Harlem, I had a vision: to create a newspaper that would tell our stories, celebrate our people, inform our families and businesses, and make sure the positive things happening in our community received the attention they deserved.
Thirty-four years later, I am still here, still publishing, still believing in Harlem and still committed to what became our guiding philosophy: “Good News You Can Use.”
This anniversary is deeply personal for me. Harlem Community Newspapers has never simply been a business. It has been a major part of my life.
Over these 34 years, I have watched Harlem change. Businesses have opened and closed. Buildings have risen. New residents have arrived. Generations have grown up. Political and community leadership has changed, and technology has completely transformed the way we communicate.
Through all those changes, one thing has remained constant: our community deserves to have its own voice.
That belief has kept me publishing.
Telling the Stories That Might Otherwise Go Untold
Throughout these years, we have covered the major events and institutions that helped shape Harlem, but some of the stories that mean the most to me are those about everyday people doing extraordinary things.
We have celebrated our seniors, young people, educators, clergy, entrepreneurs, artists, homeowners, nonprofit organizations and community advocates. We have promoted health information, educational opportunities, cultural celebrations and resources that could make a difference in someone’s life.
We have celebrated Black excellence when others overlooked it.
We have also documented Harlem as it changed before our eyes.
That is one of the responsibilities of the Black Press that I appreciate even more today than I did when I started. A community newspaper does more than report what happened this week. We create a permanent record that says: We were here. This happened. These people mattered.
At a time when Black history continues to be debated, challenged and, in some places, removed from classrooms and public institutions, preserving our own history has become even more important.
The pages we have published over 34 years are part of that history.
The Journey Has Not Always Been Easy
I would not be truthful about my personal journey if I suggested that publishing an independent community newspaper for 34 years has been easy.
It has not.
There have been economic downturns, changing advertising markets, increasing printing and operating costs, and the enormous disruption of the digital age. We survived the COVID-19 pandemic and continued finding ways to get important information to our readers during one of the most difficult periods our community has experienced.
There have been many times when keeping the newspapers going required determination, sacrifice, creativity and faith.
But every time someone tells me they saw an opportunity in our newspaper, attended an event because we publicized it, discovered a local business through our pages or saved an article about someone they knew, I am reminded why this work matters.
Harlem Has Given as Much to Me as I Have Given to Harlem
When I look back over 34 years, I realize that this newspaper has allowed me to meet some extraordinary people and witness history from a front-row seat.
I have watched leaders emerge. I have watched small businesses grow. I have seen organizations fight for our community and families work to create better opportunities for the next generation.
I have watched Harlem evolve while maintaining the culture, creativity and determination that make it unlike any other community in the world.
And Harlem has embraced me and Harlem Community Newspapers along the way.
For that, I am profoundly grateful.
I am grateful to our readers who pick up the newspaper and visit us online. I am grateful to the businesses and corporations that advertise with us. I am grateful to the organizations that send us their news and photographs. I am grateful to the writers, photographers, employees and contributors who have helped us tell Harlem’s stories.
Most importantly, I am grateful to the community that has trusted us for more than three decades.
34 Years Later, There Is Still Work to Do
This anniversary is not simply an opportunity to look backward. It is also a time to look ahead.
Community newspapers—and particularly Black-owned media—are facing tremendous challenges. Yet I believe our work is as necessary today as it was 34 years ago.
Perhaps even more so.
Our next chapter must include reaching younger generations, expanding our digital presence and helping our readers understand and benefit from rapidly changing technology, including artificial intelligence. At the same time, we must continue serving longtime readers who depend upon the printed newspaper they know and trust.
We must evolve without forgetting who we are.
That is why, as part of this anniversary, we are asking our readers, supporters, businesses and community partners to help us continue this legacy. We have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help sustain and expand Harlem Community Newspapers as we move into our next chapter.
Information about supporting the campaign is available on our website at www.harlemcommunitynews.com.
Thirty-four years ago, I could not have predicted where this journey would take me.
Today, I can look back at thousands of newspaper pages, countless photographs, community celebrations, difficult moments, wonderful people, and 34 years of Harlem history and say with pride: we helped tell the story.
But we are not finished.
There are more people to celebrate. More businesses to support. More young people to encourage. More history to document. More information to share. And certainly, more “Good News You Can Use.”
After 34 years, I remain grateful for the journey, proud of the legacy, and excited about what comes next.
Harlem’s story continues—
Based on reporting by Harlem Community Newspapers.
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