[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 116 (Thursday, August 1, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1453]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              A TRIBUTE TO THE MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY JOURNAL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. THOMAS M. BARRETT

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 1, 1996

  Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I pay tribute today to one of 
the most widely read and respected African-American newspapers in the 
United States. As the Milwaukee Community Journal celebrates 20 years 
of hard-hitting, thoughtful, and award-winning journalism this week, I 
would like to take a moment to reflect on the rich history of this 
outstanding news operation.
  The Milwaukee Community Journal was founded in 1976 to provide a 
voice for Milwaukee's rapidly expanding and influential African-
American community. From its humble beginnings in an apartment complex 
on Port Washington Road with a tireless and dedicated staff of six 
people, the Community Journal has today grown into Wisconsin's largest 
circulated African-American newspaper. Today, the Community Journal's 
offices on Martin Luther King Drive have come to represent much more 
than a news center. Indeed, it is a vital nerve center of our 
community, where scores of neighborhood revitalization efforts are 
initiated.
  During the past two decades, the Community Journal has highlighted 
and championed many issues of critical importance to Milwaukee's 
Central City. From education reform, to economic development, to civil 
rights, the Community Journal is truly Milwaukee's voice of conscience. 
Furthermore, the paper plays a critical role in chronicling and 
preserving Milwaukee's rich legacy of African-American history and 
progress.
  The Community Journal has received dozens of awards and accolades 
over the last 20 years for its courageous reporting and commentary. 
Most recently, the paper won a National Newspaper Publishers 
Association award for publishing an extended magazine devoted to crime 
fighting in Milwaukee. Last year, the paper was honored with the 
prestigious A. Phillip Randolph Messenger Award for its ongoing 
reporting on the educational reform movement in Milwaukee.

  Staying true to its name, the Community Journal remains a strong 
voice of the people of the Central City. Through school partnerships, 
scholarships, and the sponsorship of educational campaigns, the 
Community Journal has introduced hundreds of Milwaukee students to the 
field of journalism. The paper also actively sponsors book give-aways 
to promote reading among Milwaukee youth, and has been a main proponent 
of job creation in the Central City.
  Mikel Holt, editor of the paper, is one of Milwaukee's most respected 
editors and social commentators, and is one of the Nation's most 
tenured African-American journalists. Mr. Holt is widely known to 
Milwaukee television viewers for his regular work on the WTMJ 
Television show ``Sunday Insight With Charles Sykes''. He has also 
received many awards and citations, including the National Newspaper 
Publishers Association Best Columnist Award, which he has won twice. 
Mr. Holt's regular column ``Signifyin' '' poignantly focuses on the 
direction of Milwaukee's African-American community, and is one of the 
most popular and provocative commentaries in the State of Wisconsin.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish Mikel Holt and the Milwaukee Community Journal 
continued success on this special anniversary. May the next 20 years be 
as productive and fruitful for this outstanding newspaper which has 
truly worked to make a difference in Milwaukee, the State of Wisconsin, 
and the entire Nation.

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