[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 161 (Friday, September 28, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1345-E1346]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY PRESS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 28, 2018

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, today, as the credibility of journalists and 
media outlets come under fire daily, I want to recognize one newspaper 
in my district that has been serving Westchester County for the past 90 
years, the Westchester County Press.
  Casilda luella established the local newspaper, at first, to serve 
her community of Hastings-on-Hudson, and did so for 23 years. Casilda 
then sold the newspaper in 1951 to Reverend Alger Adams, and his wife 
Jessie of Hastings-on-Hudson, who shifted the focus of the newspaper. 
Moving from a strictly local point of view, the Westchester County 
Press began reporting on the lack of African-American representation 
within the county. Over the next 35 years, Reverend Adams followed 
leads, hired reporters, and columnists to grow the Westchester County 
Press. Most notably, Reverend Adams hired civil rights activist M. Paul 
Redd, Sr. to write a weekly political column titled ``M. Paul Tells 
All.''

[[Page E1346]]

  Mr. Redd's columns brought increased exposure to the Westchester 
County Press, and he eventually became the owner in 1986. Under Mr. 
Redd's leadership the Westchester County Press became the leading voice 
of issues impacting the African-American community throughout 
Westchester. As owner, he would continue to write his ``M. Paul Tells 
All'' column until his passing in 2009.
  For more than 60 years, the Westchester County Press is the only 
weekly newspaper owned and run by African-Americans within Westchester 
County. Now led by Sandra Blackwell, since 2009, the newspaper 
continues to maintain high journalistic standards when reporting on the 
African-American community on a local, state and national level. As a 
result of their unwavering mission, the Westchester County Press is 1 
of 200 African American newspapers that are members of the National 
Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA).
  I want to congratulate the Westchester County Press for serving the 
Westchester County community for the past 90 years. Their dedication to 
reporting on issues impacting the African-American community cannot go 
unrecognized. Lastly, I would like to honor M. Paul Redd Sr.'s near 50 
years of work, and acknowledge his enshrinement in the NNPA's Hall of 
Fame as of 2014.

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