Farewell to James A. Washington: A Trailblazer in Black Journalism and Community Advocacy

James A. Washington The president and general manager of the Atlanta Voice, Washington, always displayed a genuine concern for Black America and its longtime voice, The Black Press of America. By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia As this week’s Atlanta Voice headline was heartbreaking, it proved fitting. Straight and to the point, an obituary by Donnell Suggs came with the headline, “James A. Washington, 73, a champion of Black press and journalism, passes away.” Washington was straight and to the point, a champion of the Black press, an astute spokesman for journalism, and a rare gem who earned trust on his first words in a conversation. The president and general manager of the Atlanta Voice, Washington, always displayed a genuine concern for Black America and its longtime voice, The Black Press of America. In 2019 and again in 2021, Washington said he considered a run to chair the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of the more than 250 African American-owned newspapers and media companies in the Black Press of America. In both cases, Washington declined to compete against his friends, Houston Forward Times Publisher, and former chair Karen Carter Richards, who held the...