[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13354]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    CELEBRATING THE MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN-RECORDER'S 80TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KEITH ELLISON

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 29, 2015

  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate and honor the 
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder on its 80th Anniversary. The Spokesman-
Recorder is the oldest African-American business in Minnesota and one 
of the oldest African-American newspapers in the United States. A 
longstanding pillar and voice of the Minnesota African-American 
community since its inception in 1934, the Spokesman-Recorder remains a 
journalistic force to this day.
  Started as two separate papers, the Minneapolis Spokesman and the St. 
Paul Recorder were founded on August 10, 1934 by Cecil E. Newman. Mr. 
Newman was truly invested in the lives and communities his papers 
reached. He designed both papers as communication vehicles to unite, 
educate, inspire and empower the Twin Cities African-American 
community. When founding his publications, Mr. Newman was quoted as 
saying, ``I didn't have enough money to begin one newspaper, so I began 
publishing two.''
  Mr. Newman was an important voice in the civil rights era, advising 
Senators Hubert H. Humphrey (D-MN) and Clifford P. Case (R-NJ) 
throughout the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as 
Senator Walter F. Mondale (D-MN) on the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Mr. 
Newman's commitment to civil and human rights and his bipartisan 
advocacy gained the papers respect and influence.
  Now one publication, the Spokesman-Recorder, has been a springboard 
for African-American talent and continues to nurture and support 
talented writers, photographers and journalists. The Spokesman-Recorder 
helped launch the careers of internationally-renowned photographer and 
writer Gordon Parks and honored U.S. journalist and former Ambassador 
to Finland, Carl Rowan.
  After Mr. Newman's passing in 1976, his wife Launa took the helm as 
publisher. Mrs. Newman remained in that role for 32 years until she 
handed the reins to their granddaughter, Tracey Williams-Dillard, in 
2008. Ms. Williams-Dillard has worked to continue Cecil Newman's legacy 
and the Spokesman-Recorder now connects the entire state of Minnesota 
through print and digital content.
  I am proud to represent the congressional district that the 
Spokesman-Recorder and the Newman family call home. Today, I 
congratulate the Spokesman-Recorder for its accomplishments, its 
lasting legacy, and the decades of hard work required to publish one of 
the top African-American owned newspapers in the United States.

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