[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 23, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1183-E1184]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS 
                              ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 23, 2010

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the monumental 
contributions of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) 
on its 70th anniversary. Founded in 1940 by John H. Sengstacke, the 
NNPA has served as the voice and advocate of African-Americans, 
highlighting the historical challenges facing their communities. For 
several decades, the NNPA has been on the frontlines of the struggle 
for justice and defense of the rights of African Americans. Its impact 
has extended beyond publishing to affect the lives and livelihoods of 
African Americans and the history of the nation.
  On June 18th, I was humbled to be honored by the National Newspaper 
Publishers Association (NNPA) at its 70th Annual Convention in New York 
City. Alongside Berry Gordy, the iconic founder of Motown Records and a 
longtime leader in the entertainment industry, I was presented with the 
Legacy of Excellence Award.
  I would like to thank Danny Bakewell, Sr., Chairman of the NNPA and 
publisher of the Los Angeles Sentinel, the oldest and largest African 
American newspaper on the West Coast. Under Mr. Bakewell's leadership, 
the NNPA has thrived as an organization, which he has headed since July 
of 2009.
  I also wish to recognize two stalwart publishers in the New York City 
NNPA family: Walter Smith, president of the Northeast Publishers 
Association and publisher of the New York Beacon; and Elinor Tatum, 
publisher of The New York Amsterdam News, who took over for her father, 
the great Wilbert A. Tatum, who passed away in February of 2009.
  The history of the Black press in the United States dates back to the 
early 19th century. The first African-American newspaper, Freedom's 
Journal, was founded in March of 1827 in New York City. Two of its 
founders, Reverend Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm, proclaimed in 
the very first issue, ``Too long have others spoken for us . . . We 
wish to plead our own cause.'' The goals of the Black press were to 
create their own channels of communication for African Americans, 
expressing their views on social, political, and economic issues of 
their time.
  The existential mission of the Black press was to fiercely oppose, 
condemn and agitate against the institution of slavery, the atrocities 
of lynching, the insults of racial segregation and the brutal 
injustices against African Americans that denied them their civil and 
political rights, not to mention their humanity. Freedom's Journal and 
the African American newspapers that followed laid the foundation for 
Black publishers, editors, journalists, columnists and cartoonists.
  Years later, in March of 1940, John H. Sengstacke of the Chicago 
Defender organized many of this nation's Black publishers at the first 
annual convention of what was then the National Negro Publishers 
Association in Chicago. The objective was to provide a venue for Black 
publishers to acquaint themselves with each other and to jointly 
address

[[Page E1184]]

the problems ailing their industry. A total of 22 Black publications 
from 16 cities, including Detroit, Philadelphia and Chicago, were 
represented. This gathering was the birth of what is now known as the 
National Newspaper Publishers Association, which even today is widely 
considered as the most powerful and influential Black organization in 
the United States.
  For seven decades, the NNPA has succeeded in championing the 
concerns, dreams, and triumphs of African Americans in this country. 
While there have been many successes, there is much work to be done. We 
need the Black press today as much as ever. They remain our champions 
in the fight for economic opportunity, affordable health care, quality 
education, and political representation.
  Madam Speaker, I recognize the contributions of the NNPA, which 
represents over 200 publishers in the United States and the U.S. Virgin 
Islands. The NNPA has made an important contribution to democracy by 
ensuring that the voices of African Americans are heard. I invite my 
colleagues to honor the legacy of the National Newspaper Publishers 
Association and their enduring contributions to this country's 
publishing industry, the African American community, and to the nation.

                          ____________________