#NNPA BlackPress

Karen Carter Richards, CEO/Publisher Houston Forward Times, Seeks NNPA Chair

THE TENNESSEE TRIBUNE — Karen Carter Richards, CEO and Publisher of the Houston Forward Times, is running for the chairmanship of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the country’s largest Black Press advocacy group with more than 200 newspapers. Richards has a long and distinguished journalistic career, and is last year’s winner of the NNPA Publisher of the Year award.

Published

6 years ago

May 21, 2019

Oakland Post

By Rosetta Miller Perry

NASHVILLE, TN — Karen Carter Richards, CEO and Publisher of the Houston Forward Times, is running for the chairmanship of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the country’s largest Black Press advocacy group with more than 200 newspapers. Richards has a long and distinguished journalistic career, and is last year’s winner of the NNPA Publisher of the Year award.

Under her leadership since 2010, the Forward Times is able to compete with two other mainstream Houston dailies.

She has also maintained a family tradition dating back to 1960, when her father, Julius P. Carter, founded the Houston Forward Times. He saw a need for a newspaper dedicated to covering issues and personalities being ignored by the mainstream press. After his death, her mother Lenora “Doll” Carter took over, with Richards working alongside her, a partnership that continued over three decades. The family ties remain strong today, as her oldest daughter Chelsea is the paper’s general manager, and her youngest Nykayla, is its social media editor.

Richards is the NNPA’s current first vice chair, and has always publicly expressed her dedication and devotion to the the Black Press. “The Black Press has always been and will continue to be relevant,” she said in a recent NNPA release. “We are the voice, the true voice of our people. We have recorded our history for 191 years like no other media could ever do. We have recorded many stories…our celebrations, our injustices and those hidden, treasured stories that came from our communities that we have always found value in.”

A Houston native, having two parents immersed in journalism had a dynamic impact on Richards. She was delivering papers as a seven-year-old, riding her bicycle through her neighborhood.

She’s called her father “a visionary,” and stressed his desire to celebrate and highlight the positive things happening in Houston’s Black community as well as documenting problems, ills, and systemic abuses and injustices. He exposed her to numerous things from politics to the arts, fashion, business and commerce, which prepared her for her current role.

Likewise, her mother worked alongside her father, and upon his death took over the operation. Richards began working full-time at the Forward Times in 1983, and credits her mother with teaching her everything about the paper from the business and technical ends, whether it was writing, design, sales or distribution. When her mother passed in April of 2010, Richards was more than ready to assume a leadership role, one that’s seen her make the Forward Times a rare Black weekly newspaper, and an outlet that’s growing and expanding in an era when print properties are shrinking or disappearing.

One example of the paper’s outreach under Richards was the creation of the Julius and Lenora Carter Scholarship & Youth Foundation, which benefits low-to-moderate income Houston high school seniors and college students interested in various areas of journalism. Since its formation in 2010, the Foundation has provided internships to high school and college student in order to prepare them for careers in their prospective fields of study, through practical learning experiences in Journalism, Printing, Broadcasting and Digital Communications.

In her role as NNPA First Vice Chair, Richards was recently selected as an inaugural member of the International Women’s Forum (I.W.F.) – the Houston Chapter. The International Women’s Forum is a singularly unique organization comprised of more than 6,000 dynamic women leaders in thirty-three countries and seventy-four forums around the world. She served as Chairperson of “Go Red Girlfriend,” an African American Awareness Initiative for the American Heart Association. She’s also a recipient of the National Council of Negro Women’s Mary McLeod Bethune Impact Service Award. Numerous women, youth, senior citizens, community organizations, businesses and churches have benefited from her overall dedication, support and training.

Richards was also honored by the Texas Executive Women (TEW), an organization consisting of powerful and successful woman executives from various professions and industries in Houston, as one of their Women on the Move in 2016. Upon receiving her award Richards said publicly, “Although I am humbled by the things that we have accomplished, my pride comes in continuing the legacy of my parents,” said Karen. “They instilled in me a pride and commitment to our community. That is what they expected and it is the mandate that they left me to carry on. I am very proud that we celebrate more than 56 years in business.”

Now, as the Houston Forward Times enjoys celebrating 60 years in business, Karen Carter Richards aims to bring those same qualities of forthright self-awareness – decisiveness – the ability to make decisions quickly. fairness – treating others equally, enthusiasm – motivating a team with a positive attitude, integrity – earning the respect of team knowledge – keeping abreast of the facts and figures.and imaginative thinking to the position of NNPA chairman.

This article originally appeared in The Tennessee Tribune.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

COMMENTARY: Concerns About Current Rise and Return of Neo-Confederacy in Tennessee State Government

Don't Miss

AUTO REVIEW: 2019 Mazda MX-5 RF

Oakland Post

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

Black Feminist Movement Mobilizes in Response to National Threats

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States.

Published

3 days ago

May 30, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States. The event, led by the organization Black Feminist Future, is headlined by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis. Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, joined Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known to outline the mission and urgency behind the gathering, titled “Get Free.” “This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” Hatcher said. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk—whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.” Hatcher pointed to issues such as rising evictions among Black families, the rollback of bodily autonomy laws, and the high cost of living as key drivers of the event’s agenda. “Our communities are facing premature death,” she said.

Workshops and plenaries will focus on direct action, policy advocacy, and practical organizing skills. Attendees will participate in training sessions that include how to resist evictions, organize around immigration enforcement, and disrupt systemic policies contributing to poverty and incarceration. “This is about fighting back,” Hatcher said. “We’re not conceding anything.” Hatcher addressed the persistent misconceptions about Black feminism, including the idea that it is a movement against men or families. “Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” she said. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.” She also responded to claims that organizing around Black women’s issues weakens broader coalitions. “We don’t live single-issue lives,” Hatcher said. “Our blueprint is one that lifts all Black people.”

The conference will not be streamed virtually, but recaps and updates will be posted daily on Black Feminist Future’s YouTube channel and Instagram account. The event includes performances by Tank and the Bangas and honors longtime activists including Billy Avery, Erica Huggins, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. When asked how Black feminism helps families, Hatcher said the real threat to family stability is systemic oppression. “If we want to talk about strong Black families, we have to talk about mass incarceration, the income gap, and the systems that tear our families apart,” Hatcher said. “Black feminism gives us the tools to build and sustain healthy families—not just survive but thrive.”

Stacy M. Brown

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

#NNPA BlackPress

Hoover’s Commutation Divides Chicago as State Sentence Remains

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Hoover was convicted of murder and running a criminal enterprise. Although some supporters describe him as a political prisoner, the legal and public safety concerns associated with his name remain substantial.

Published

4 days ago

May 29, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The federal sentence for Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover has been commuted, but he remains incarcerated under a 200-year state sentence in Illinois. The decision by Donald Trump to reduce Hoover’s federal time has reignited longstanding debates over his legacy and whether rehabilitation or continued punishment is warranted. The commutation drew immediate public attention after music executive Jay Prince and artist Chance the Rapper publicly praised Trump’s decision. “I’m glad that Larry Hoover is home,” said Chance the Rapper. “He was a political prisoner set up by the federal government. He created Chicago Votes, mobilized our people, and was targeted for that.”

But Hoover, the founder of the Gangster Disciples, is not home—not yet. Now in federal custody at the Florence Supermax in Colorado, Hoover was convicted of murder and running a criminal enterprise. Although some supporters describe him as a political prisoner, the legal and public safety concerns associated with his name remain substantial. “There is a divide in the Black community here,” said Chicago journalist Jason Palmer during an appearance on the Let It Be Known morning program. “Some view Hoover as someone who brought structure and leadership. Others remember the violence that came with his organization.” Palmer explained that while Hoover’s gang originally formed for protection, it grew into a criminal network responsible for extensive harm in Chicago. He also noted that Hoover continued to run his organization from state prison using coded messages passed through visitors, prompting his transfer to federal custody.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who is widely considered a potential 2028 presidential contender, has not issued a statement. Palmer suggested that silence is strategic. “Releasing Hoover would create enormous political consequences,” Palmer said. “The governor’s in a difficult spot—he either resists pressure from supporters or risks national backlash if he acts.” According to Palmer, Hoover’s federal commutation does not make him a free man. “The federal sentence may be commuted, but he still has a 200-year state sentence,” he said. “And Illinois officials have already made it clear they don’t want to house him in state facilities again. They prefer he remains in federal custody, just somewhere outside of Colorado.”

Palmer also raised concerns about what Hoover’s case could signal for others. “When R. Kelly was convicted federally, state prosecutors in Illinois and Minnesota dropped their charges. If a president can commute federal sentences based on public pressure or celebrity support, others like R. Kelly or Sean Combs could be next,” Palmer said. “Meanwhile, there are thousands of incarcerated people without fame or access to public platforms who will never get that consideration.” “There are people who are not here today because of the violence connected to these organizations,” Palmer said. “That has to be part of this conversation.”

Stacy M. Brown

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

#NNPA BlackPress

WATCH: Five Years After George Floyd: Full Panel Discussion | Tracey’s Keepin’ It Real | Live Podcast Event

Join us as we return to the city where it happened and speak with a voice from the heart of the community – Tracey Williams-Dillard, CEO/Publisher of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

Published

5 days ago

May 28, 2025

admin

https://youtube.com/watch?v=OsNLWTz6jU0&feature=oembed

May 25, 2020. The world stopped and watched as a life was taken.

But what has happened since?

Join us as we return to the city where it happened and speak with a voice from the heart of the community – Tracey Williams-Dillard, CEO/Publisher of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

She shares reflections, insights, and the story of a community forever changed. What has a year truly meant, and where do we go from here?

This is more than just a date; it’s a moment in history. See what one leader in the Black press has to say about it.

Recorded live at UROC in Minneapolis, this powerful discussion features:

Panelists: