[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 182 (Thursday, November 16, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2198]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN TRIBUTE TO THE BAY STATE BANNER

                                 ______


                       HON. JOSEPH P. KENNEDY II

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 16, 1995

  Mr. KENNEDY of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a 
great institution of journalism in Boston. The Bay State Banner 
recently celebrated the anniversary of its 30-year commitment to 
providing information and filling a communication void among the 
African-American community in Boston.
  Thirty years ago, there was no African-American newspaper in Boston 
and the major media rarely noticed the black community except to report 
crime. This critical media vacuum kept the community uninformed about 
major issues affecting its welfare.
  The Banner's goal has always been to enable African-Americans to 
assume responsibility for their own welfare and advancement. In 1965, 
that meant providing the information necessary to prepare blacks for 
their new and unaccustomed legal status.
  Today, the Bay State Banner still educates, informs, and unites the 
African-American community in Boston with its legacy of self-
empowerment. ``Unity, Progress, Let's Do It Ourselves'' was the 
founding slogan and focus of the paper. Boston's black community shares 
that legacy with the Banner, never shying away from the many challenges 
it has faced and continues to face. With these challenges, the Banner 
is needed now as much as ever.
  I would like to congratulate them on 30 years of hard work and 
success, and wish them many more years of continued prosperity.

                          ____________________