WESTERN MICHIGAN
MUSKEGON
K I' rnazoo' cornmun ty n 'w p p r
et to 9 ar up again ,in March
by'DANNY R. COOKS
CO" •• potul.1Il
Inadequate minority coverage by
the Kalamazoo Gazette compelled
two enterpri ing young
professionals to embar upon a
pUblishing venture in March, 1990.
, While it folded in October of that
year, one of the COMMUNITY
FOCUS' publi her recently
. predicted a March '92 return to
'covering the alae community in
Kalamazoo. .
Jerome Espy and Felix Sharp had
researched their market and knew
what was needed, d pite b ginning
on a shoestring. budget. "We had a
hat'd way to go to get people to
advertise with . There w a lot 0
llpservlce but not much el e," Espy
aid.. .
The infant new paper didn't
subscribe to a news' ervice nor did it
'have an established delivery route or
a paid tatf of writers. "We were a
locally-focused paper," E py
explained, lounging in the lobby of
Kalamazoo' Communi ty Access
Genter, prior to going out oil a
shooting assignment. "We, had a lot
of writers. from 'colleges,
nelghborhood associations, and
churches. There was no lack of,
tortes."
The paper, who e motto wa
"Your Voice' n Kalamazoo," was
�
Friend hip B pti t Church
Sunday Choir will h ve lh ir 12th
Annual D y program on und .
October 6, t 3 p.m.
Their gue t will be th
Lighthouse Tab rn cl Chur h
Youth Choir, orning St r Littl
Angel Choir, Zion Bapti t Church
Youth Choir, Queen ther Bap " t
Church Youth Choir and Corinthians,
Baptist Church Youth choir. '
Rev. Richard Hogu 'i the ho t
p tor.
, .
TIlE GARRETT WOMEN - (I-r): Great-Great granddauahter, PrIItUla .. two
ter Re Is 20 years old; graDddauatater PrileUIa ·35 yean old; da .. bter .
d Matrlaftb ", yean old. (photo 1 D. Coob) .
v y
1M
�YOU
UYA
:MIC IGAN
I
, 1
:CI IZ
inv ,ting in ,YOUR community.
& opportunltl
YOU ar
Create job
I
o DAY
U
DYES ·1 want to ub crlbe to th Michigan Cltlz Ii
o
o
I Hav Enclo ad Payment
18 Special S nlor Citizen Price
( 10 .. vlng off n tand price)
o BILL ME
'0 '$21 for ONE YEAR
" ( off th n .and price)
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free and avail ble through
ub cription for the cost of po tage.
It w also carried by area businesses
and community organizations, Espy
, ide
, A bi-weekly publication, the
Community Focus averaged
15,000-20,000 copies per printing
before Ep y and Sharp threw in the
towel in October. "We began losing
money 0 we got out," Epsy said.
"At that time there was adec ion to
"
step back, evaluate, and come at it'
again." \
Epsy dmitted their deci ion 0
not take ds'for malt liquor and olhet I '
evil dumped into the Black
community may have been .. '·
responsible for the early demise at', .
the Communi ty Focus. He said the' f
Community Focus' management is
looking into grant and uch a' ,
po ible aid in deferring co to'
publication, "'�,
, ..
" -
Pr ident of the National Board of Director of the NAACP
and'
r id nt f the New Yor� Stat Conference of the NAACP
will be the �uest speaker
.A.A.C.P. P EPARI G EW GENERATIO
fOR THE STRUGGLE .
October 12, 1991 6:30 p.m.
L.C. Walker Arena Conference Center
955 ourth Street, Mus�e�on, MI
'1.. •
ES
all to: Ichlg�n Cltlz n, ,PO Box 03580, Highland Park, MI 48203 ,
Don tion: StO.OO
Youth: S J .00
Tic