[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 73 (Monday, May 7, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E590]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO NATHAN CONYERS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 7, 2018

  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Nathan Conyers 
a veteran, media professional, publisher, entrepreneur, activist, 
mentor, faith leader and trailblazer. Nathan Conyers passed away on 
April 27, 2018 at the age of 72 years.
  Nathan Conyers was a South Carolina native and was the youngest of 
seven children. He attended public school in Paxville, SC in Clarendon 
County. The Conyers family would later move to Sumter, SC, where Nathan 
graduated from Lincoln High School in 1964.
  He enlisted in the U.S. Army and after completing basic and advanced 
training in communications, he was sent to Germany where he served for 
the duration of his military career until being honorably discharged. 
After his military service Nathan Conyers relocated to Atlanta, Georgia 
graduated from Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) where he 
earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He held down 
full time employment while attending college; he worked at Time 
Magazine's Atlanta bureau for 6 years. He was quite industrious; 
attending classes at Clark in the morning, working at the Times in the 
afternoon and studying at night.
  Nathan Conyers relocated to Milwaukee soon and found work with The 
Milwaukee Community Journal as a writer and reporter. Nathan Conyers 
also worked for State Senator Monroe Swan, Wisconsin's first African 
American State Senator. He served as a legislative aide during a nearly 
10 year tenure utilizing his strong journalism and political skills.
  In 1981, Conyers joined forces with Mrs. Johnson, local realtor 
Luther Golden, and Lynda Jackson, to establish a bi-weekly newspaper 
entitled The Christian Times devoted to church news within the city's 
African American faith community. The paper expanded to cover more 
general community news and was renamed The Milwaukee Times Weekly 
Newspaper within the year, while The Christian Times remains as a 
standing feature section to this day. He opened the first Econoprint 
franchise in Wisconsin owned by an African American.
  In 1985, the Milwaukee Times publishing team launched the annual 
Black Excellence Awards program as a way to pay tribute to the good 
works of ordinary people from Milwaukee's black community who were 
accomplishing extraordinary things, yet going unnoticed. To date, 
nearly 1,000 black Milwaukeeans have been named as Black Excellence 
Awards honorees.
  Nathan Conyers promoted education of youth and at the third Black 
Excellence Awards program in 1988 assisted his co-founder, Mrs. 
Louvenia Johnson in launching The Louvenia Johnson Journalism 
Scholarship Fund. While the scholarship began to assist college-bound 
high school graduates to pursue careers in print and broadcast 
journalism, it has expanded to offer financial support to graduating 
high school seniors seeking a degree in any major. To date, the 501c3 
nonprofit, charitable organization has awarded more than half a million 
dollars to area students through the scholarship fund.
  Nathan believed in promoting journalism for youth, the newspaper 
sponsored The Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper High School Journalism 
Workshop. This internship program beginning in 1991 operated for three 
years. The program gave area students hands-on, paid experience in news 
writing, editing, photojournalism, printing and publishing skills.
  Nathan Conyers believed in economic development, job creation and 
giving back to the community. In fact, The Milwaukee Times Weekly 
Newspaper and its parent company, NCON Publishing and Printing Company 
has been a prolific creator of jobs within Milwaukee's central city for 
more than three decades. Further, he served as an advisor or board 
member to many community organizations including: the 
interdenominational faith group Pastors United; the Milwaukee Chapter 
of Operation PUSH; and Independence First, an advocacy organization for 
people with disabilities, Discovery World, Milwaukee Urban League, the 
NAACP Milwaukee Branch, and Miller (Brewing) Ride for the Arts.
  Nathan was the beloved husband for 35 years of educator, Lynda 
Jackson Conyers and the loving father of daughters Morgan and Deloris. 
As a man of faith, he and his family attended Community Baptist Church 
of Greater Milwaukee. He leaves a strong legacy of leadership for all 
people to model.
  Mr. Speaker, Nathan was my friend. I am blessed to have worked with 
him on many projects that assisted the community. Also on personal 
level, he and his wife Lynda, have been so helpful to me and my family 
as we grappled with the loss of family members. They were both so 
patient, thoughtful and kind. Nathan devoted his life to serving the 
community with a positive spirit. Milwaukee and Wisconsin have been 
made better as a result of his service to the 4th Congressional 
District. I urge my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to 
join me in a salute to the late Nathan Conyers.

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