Call my name and I'll be there.
When I call out your name, will you be there?
A Place I Call[ed] Home?!?
The Bay State Banner is a place that I hold close to my heart. Last week, The Bay State Banner published what could very well be its last edition. Publisher Melvin Miller decided to suspend publication, citing a loss in advertising revenue and also calling for a new generation to step in and run the paper, seeing as he has done it for 44 years and his 75th birthday is approaching. When I heard the news, I literally had a pit in my stomach.
The Banner is where I got my start in professional journalism. Though I was still in school at Boston University studying journalism when I first came to the Banner, the truth is that the classroom could only teach me so much. The Banner is where I was able to put the practices I was learning into use.
Howard Manly gave me that first chance and I will forever be grateful. I remember the very first day I walked into the newsroom to meet with Howard. Wide eyed, anxious and my heart about to jump out of my chest, I waited patiently for what seemed at least an hour to meet with him.
When we finally sat down, Howard asked me a few questions, but shortly thereafter was welcoming me with open arms and inviting me to come in and edit Tuesday nights, as well as write stories. I can't even begin to tell you how many Tuesday nights I spent at the Banner editing pages till the wee hours.
The Tuesday night crew - you know who you are - was awesome and is irreplaceable. There was a chemistry and bonds formed that were tremendously hard to top. Not only did I improve my journalistic skills and become better informed and acquainted with the issues facing African Americans in Boston and the surrounding communities, but I also acquired a family.
This family has taught me more than words in this blog can express. This family has not only taught me best journalism practices, but has also guided me along the way and allowed me to grow as a human being.
The thought of the Banner no longer being available is saddening because people cannot and will not get the same stories in The Boston Globe or The Boston Herald. The Banner means something to me and it means something to the people in the communities it serves.
It is closing in on four years since I first walked in the doors at the Banner. People have come and gone, but the memories made, relationships formed and lessons learned will stay with me for a lifetime. I've known I wanted to be a journalist for many years now, but it was at the Banner where the hard work first came to fruition and the daydreams first turned to reality.
Time will tell, but I believe Boston and the surrounding communities will be better served and informed if the Banner can stick it out and find investors who believe in its mission.
Passage From The Alchemist
"When I have been truly searching for my treasure, every day has been luminous, because I've known that every hour was a part of the dream that I would find it. When I have been truly searching for my treasure, I've discovered things along the way that I never would have seen had I not had the courage to try things that seemed impossible for [me] to achieve."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)