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Georgia’s Best Weekly
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February 08, 2023 - February 14, 2023
Vol. 53 No. 06
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NNPA Wraps Midwinter Conference Showing Strength of Black Press, and Star-Studded Celebration
for Dr. Benjamin Chavis
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent <®StacyBrownMedia
T l
I
he National
Newspaper Pub
lishers Association (NNPA),
the trade association for more
than 230 African Ameri
can-owned newspapers and
media companies, held its
2023 midwinter training con
ference in Puerto Rico. By
the end of the four-day event,
publishers, partners, sponsors,
members, guests, and anyone
else who visited the San Juan
Marriott Beach Resort and
Stellaris Casino gained a bet
ter appreciation of the power
of the Black Press of America.
Dr. Benjamin R Cha
vis Jr., President and Chief Ex
ecutive Officer of the NNPA,
received the organization’s
highest accolade while col
leagues, family, and friends
celebrated his birthday.
With “Digital Inno
vation Training and Engage
ment” as the conference’s
theme, NNPA Executive Ad
ministrator Claudette Perry and
conference planners did not
disappoint. The NNPA began
by introducing everyone to its
new app, which facilitated reg
istration, provided information
and instructions to each ses
sion. Publishers left the Island
of Enchantment with a better
understanding of the impor
tance of their digital products
and how to monetize both print
and online publications.
Kate Cox, adjunct
professor at the Poynter Insti
tute in Tampa, Florida, con
ducted an enlightening conver
sation on overcoming obstacles
to produce sustainable corpo
rate outcomes through digital
transformation. Cox advised
publishers on how to engage
in a presentation that was de
veloped expressly for NNPA
members to generate revenue
streams because of digital
transformation. In a separate
workshop, Cox assisted pub
lishers in implementing the
suggested evaluations of their
current audiences, staffing, and
consultants to maximize poten-
and tell stories tailored to their
audiences. In addition, the pair
discussed the importance of
GNP resources for publishers
to grow and sustain their dig
ital businesses.
Chavis spoke with
Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL)
about the importance of Black
lives and the Black press in a
pre-recorded conversation. He
also had a live fireside chat
with Dorothy Tucker, Pres
ident of the National Asso
ciation of Black Journalists
(NABJ), about strengthening
the bond between the two or
ganizations.
The Illinois propri
etors of The Times Weekly,
Jayme and Dwight Casimere,
conducted a session entitled
“The Business of Wine and
How it Became a Digital Ad
vertising Opportunity.”
A workshop on the
opinions and recommenda
tions of Generation Z and Mil-
Robert James Receives Distinguished Alumni Award
By Lauren James, Savannah Tribune Youth Editor
On a slightly sunny
but extremely humid Tuesday
morning in late January, Rob
ert Earl James II was presented
with The Savannah Country
Day Distinguished Alumni
Award. A lovely dinner filled
with laughter and cheer as
members of Country Day’s
class of 1988 reminisced on
their primary school experienc
es and family stories welcomed
Mr. James and his daughter to
Savannah for the ceremony the
following day. It was an early
morning start for the award
recipient with a 5:45 am wake-
up call; however, excitement
brewed in the Alida lobby as
he prepared his acceptance
speech.
Once they arrived at
the school, Mr. James and his
daughter were met with a smil
ing face and a few quick jokes
thanks to Amy Pinckney, the
Director of Alumni Affairs for
Savannah Country Day. It was
a packed day, and Mr. James
jumped right in, immersing
himself in the Country Day
community and reminiscing on
his high-school days. A quick
tour of the campus was inter
rupted by the cheers and em
braces of a former classmate,
Sarah Greenberg Kovensky,
who now works as a Geogra
phy teacher in Country Day’s
middle school. Mr. James con
tinued his “return to the past”
with a visit to Mrs. Leigh Small
Bauchamp’s 9th-grade geome
try class, where he experienced
the apathetic faces of some
tired teenagers. However, there
was joy between Mr. James and
Mrs. Bauchamp as they shared
stories of each other’s high-
school adventures and even
some yearbook photos.
Continued on Page 11
tial for raising digital revenue
and expanding their total mar
ket influence.
Later, NNPA Digital
Manager Norman Rich and
Rolling Out COO Randy Fling
discussed the digital revenue
success approaches adopted
by certain members, including
Rolling Out. “Digital ads are
an important part of digital,
but there are many other bene
fits,” Fling advised publishers.
“It can help your business,” he
said. “Do not unsell yourself,”
Rich pleaded to publishers.
Ashley Edwards,
vNews Lab’s US Partnerships
Manager, and Tina Xiao, Goo
gle News Initiative’s global
program manager, presented
publishers with three best prac
tices for driving traffic to their
websites. They also instruct
ed journalists on how to use
Google tools to find, verify,
lennials regarding the future
economic sustainability of the
Black Press was a highlight
of the conference. Discussion
was led by Chelsea Lenora
White of the Houston Forward
Times, Jarren Small, founder
of Reading with a Rapper, Mi-
chale Green, managing editor
of the Washington Informer,
and Lafayette Barnes, publish
er of The Bridge. The quartet
discussed and illustrated how
publishers may generate new
revenue streams as a result of
the intersection and engage
ment of adolescents with their
digital and print media.
Chavis, the recipient
of the 2023 NNPA Lifetime
Achievement Award, was fet
ed with a 75th birthday party
on Day 3 and a star-studded
awards ceremony to help close
out the conference.
Continued on Page 11
Special Black History Month Exhibit at Bull Street
Library Featuring W.W. Law
SPD Announces Assistant Chief Appointments
W.W. Law addresses crowd | Photo by Massie Heritage Center
This February, Live
Oak Public Libraries is hosting
a special award-winning exhib
it highlighting the work of civil
rights leader W.W. Law.
In celebration of
Black History Month, and in
recognition of W.W. Law’s
100th birthday, Go Down to
Savannah: W.W. Law’s Negro
Heritage Trail is presented in
collaboration with Massie Her
itage Center and the City of
Savannah Municipal Archives,
made possible by the Savan-
nah-Chatham County Public
School System.
Visitors are invited to
learn the story of Savannah’s
first heritage tour that focused
on African-American history in
the city.
Westley Wallace
Law (1923-2002) was bom in
Savannah, Georgia in an era
of great inequality and social
injustice. He earned a modest
income as a postman and went
on to become an icon of civil
rights as a historian, teacher,
preservationist, and an inspir
ing presence in the community.
The exhibit features
display panels and upright ban
ners sharing photos, text, and
a map of the Negro Heritage
Trail. Visitors will also find
historical reference materials
and informational handouts.
This display sheds
light on a unique aspect of
Law’s legacy, with documents
and images capturing the in
ception and early years of the
Negro Heritage Trail in histor
ic Savannah. Law designed the
tour to support the King-Tis-
dell Cottage, which he saved
from demolition, and cast
Savannah into the spotlight
along with major cities, such
as Washington, D.C. and New
York City, to offer a guided
black heritage tour.
Continued on Page 4
Chief Lenny Gunther
announced today the appoint
ment of two permanent assis
tant chiefs to assist in leading
the Savannah Police Depart
ment.
DeVonn Adams and
Robert Gavin will assume the
permanent roles. In July 2022,
Gunther was named interim
chief and named both Adams
and Gavin as interim assistant
chiefs. They have served in
those roles since that time.
“DeVonn Adams and
Robert Gavin have the expe
rience, insight and a record of
success that will make them ef
fective leaders for this depart
ment,” Gunther said. “They
have both served the citizens of
Savannah at SPD for more than
25 years. They have their finger
on the pulse of this department
and this city and understand
Savannah’s unique needs. Both
have proven this while serving
as interim assistant chiefs.”
Adams will lead the
department’s Field Operations
Bureau, heading the depart
ment’s efforts and initiatives
DeVonn Adams
to continuously reduce crime.
Gavin will lead the depart
ment’s Administrative and
Management Operations Bu
reau, heading the department’s
efforts dedicated to systems
improvement and quality as
surance.
Adams joined Sa
vannah Police Department in
Robert Gavin
1992. He holds a Master’s in
Criminal Justice Management
from Columbus State Universi
ty and a Bachelor’s in Criminal
Justice from Savannah State
University and is a graduate of
Benedictine Military School.
Continued on Page 4
ROBERT E. JAMES
Presiefenf Since
December 1971
CARVER'
STATE BANK
est. Feb. 23, 1927
95 Years of Service, Leadership and Success!
LOUIS B. TOOMER
Eounoerond
f$J PresicJen)
MAIN OFFICE
70 i Martin Luther King. Jr. BJvd.., Savannah, GA 3 1401
SKI DAW AY BRANCH
71 tO Skiefatvay Rd., Savannah, GA 31406