“During hard times, we’ve been here for our community,” said Janis Ware. “And we have never missed publishing, and we’ve never missed payroll. I’m very proud of that.”
Ware is the publisher of The Atlanta Voice, the historic Black newspaper founded by her father, J. Lowell Ware, and Ed Clayton in Georgia in 1966. “The paper was really birthed out of the Civil Rights Movement,” explained Ware in an interview with E&P a week after the November presidential election.
When it launched, the paper was operated out of her family’s basement, giving her a rare early look at the importance of the press. “We had Dr. Martin Luther King, David Abernathy, Julian Bond and many other leaders in and out of our house all the time. I always say journalism wasn’t a career path I chose; I was born into it.”
Ware explained that her father was a businessman who, in addition to running the paper, also had several other companies, including a community development company that built housing in the neighborhood where the paper eventually established its offices. “We have always been deeply embedded in our community. We have built trust over time.”
Ware explained that her father and Clayton were compelled to start the paper because other local newsrooms weren't covering Black community issues fairly or fully during the struggle for equal rights at the time. When they launched the paper, they established its motto: “A People Without A Voice Cannot Be Heard.”
“It was founded to give people information about what was going on and what changes were taking place when others weren’t writing about the issues that were important to the community,” said Ware. “We have had this as our motto the entire time, and it is as relevant today as it was then.”
Building for the future
Today, The Atlanta Voice still publishes its weekly print edition and connects with its community through real-time news on its website and social media. “We know we have to evolve as things change,” said Ware.
With that in mind, over the last year, they converted the space that once held its printing press into a multimedia production studio. They now produce videos and podcasts in the space and distribute them on social and digital platforms, including YouTube. Ware said the goal is to produce historical documentaries and rent the facility for additional revenue.
In October, the paper, which is a nonprofit organization, received a $100,000 grant from Press Forward’s first open call from their pooled funding. The funds will go to support its reporting over the next two years.
The editorial team is headed up by Editor-in-Chief Donnell Suggs, who started his career in the Black Press, freelancing at The Atlanta Voice right out of college. He then went on to another Black newspaper in Atlanta to cover sports and then spent time covering business and real estate.
Ware recruited Suggs to return to The Voice two years ago to take the helm. “It’s a rare opportunity to get a chance to step into this role at a paper like this with people I really respect. The Black Press has a unique place in America, and I’m thankful to be able to do this work in this place with these people. I also love getting to mentor.”
Suggs has a team of six, including staff reporters Laura Nwogu, who covers Atlanta’s burgeoning restaurant scene and entertainment and helps with social media, and Isaiah Singleton, who covers the LGBTQIA+ community and transportation. They also have regular freelancers who cover the arts, while Suggs covers community news, sports and politics.
Suggs said the team emphasizes being out in the community covering what’s important to them, like a recent story — a local philanthropist donating $20,000 for a local high school marching band to travel to New York to play in the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“We are there on the ground with them every day. We can go into neighborhoods, and they know us. They’ll talk to us. That makes a difference,” said Suggs. He also said their audience looks to them to cover national and international stories with their unique perspective.
They report a combined monthly reach of 500,000 from digital engagements, three weekly newsletters sent to their 57,000 subscribers and a 6,500-print run. When asked why they still print a weekly edition, Publisher Ware said the audience still wants it. “Some still won’t go online, and it's important we reach them where they are.”
Suggs said the print edition helps the newsroom connect with the community: “People come into our offices every week to pick it up. We have conversations with them when they come in. It’s a chance to connect.”
The paper recently broke new ground during the election by sending Suggs to join the press pool covering Vice President Kamala Harris during the presidential campaign. “This was a historic and important moment for our community.” Ware said. “I wanted our newsroom and our community to have that opportunity.”
Suggs covered Harris’ visits to Georgia and attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The effort was a significant logistical and financial undertaking for a local paper, but Suggs said his reporting from the road led to increased reader engagement and advertising for The Atlanta Voice. During the weeks leading into and out of the election, they held the #1 and #2 highest engagement numbers tracked by the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)
For Suggs, the impact went beyond numbers. “We have to be ambitious. We have to be covering local and national issues for our audience. If Black newspapers are going to be taken seriously like they were in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s, we have to be on the front lines of what’s really important. People want a trusted person to tell them what’s going on. And we’ve spent time building that trust,” he said.
If Vice President Harris had won the election, Suggs planned to go to Washington, D.C., to cover the inauguration in Washington, D.C. However, given the outcome, he said he was canceling his travel plans. “We’re digging back into our local coverage. We have a lot of things to cover here in Atlanta.”
Publisher Ware has been with the paper for 47 years. She said she hadn’t initially planned to work alongside her father but joined after earning her business degree from the University of Georgia in 1977. She recalls being the only African American, and often the only woman, in her classes. Ware credits her business education and the challenges she faced during that time with preparing her to lead the paper.
She also expressed gratitude that her sister’s daughters are now working at the paper, marking the third generation of family involvement. “So many papers and businesses don’t reach the second generation. I’m glad that we’ve been able to take things forward. Next year, Atlanta will celebrate 50 years of having African American mayors. We’ve covered that; we covered the Civil Rights Movement. And we are still serving our community. That makes me proud.”
Diane Sylvester is an award-winning 30-year multimedia news veteran. She works as a reporter, editor, and newsroom strategist. She can be reached at diane.povcreative@gmail.com
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