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We lit the last Kwanzaa light on January 1, 2024, acknowledging the seventh principle, “Imani” (Faith), as we welcomed the New Year. My unwavering “faith in God and the support of those who believe in what I am doing have kept me on this path of publishing “Good News You Can Use.”
During these times when so many evils and negative spirits are among us, I find it easy to find some positive light. As I mentioned in my previous publisher’s statement, “I am reminded that no matter how divided this country seems, there is still Unity in families and communities. We continue to be Self-Determined on our journey to fulfill our Purpose in this life. Through Collective Work, Cooperative Economics, and Creativity, we will be successful. Our Faith keeps us steadfast and on the right path as we look forward to the New Year.”
It was 30 years ago I decided to begin publishing Harlem Community News. After being in the media business for a couple of decades, I saw an opportunity to bring community newspapers, shedding light on the “positive” things being achieved by organizations and individuals in Harlem and the New York community in predominantly African American areas. Many critics say that as a news organization, we should report the “news” as it is. – the good and the negative. I decided there was too much emphasis on the “negative” in communities of color and that I would attempt to balance the scale by tilting toward the “positive.” In three decades, I have no regrets.
Publishing our print edition has been challenging these past few years, beginning with COVID in 2019. First, we faced a paper shortage, which caused the printing cost to go up 50% in the past few years. In 2023, the New York Immigration migration affected us greatly as we depended heavily on New York City advertising, which was cut by more than 75%. We all know that when budgets are cut, marketing is often the first budget line to be decreased or eliminated. It became clear to us that it was time to pivot. We decided to transform toward technology and optimize, embrace, and increase our social media and online presence. Our website is being transformed, so you will notice a better site with greater speed in a couple of weeks.
In the last seven days of 2023, we introduced our new “Harlem Daily” newsletter. We produced seven issues in 2023, focusing on the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Now we will publish daily, Monday-Friday. You can get “Good News” daily in your email. “Harlem Daily” is a free subscription; you just need to go to our website and subscribe at www.harlemcommunitynews.com.
