Today, I received a sweet reminder of a quest that we took on, back in July of 2005 — the establishment of this area's first black weekly print News Media Publication, which we affectionately named "The People's Voice."   
I was reminded by way of a heartwarming birthday greeting from my dear friend, Jeanetta Springer, who was right in there with me, front and center, when I got a groups of our friends and comrads together, and put forward the idea of a Weekly black Newspaper publication of our own design. 

The project was one of the very first projects of the Wilkie Clark Memorial Foundation.  And it was HUGE.  We really wanted to do something HUGE, and impactful.   

For months, a large group of interested friends who love our community, regularly met, put our heads together, hammered out the plans, and meticulously pooled our meager resources to put out that HUGE FIRST EDITION of The Peoples Voice.   

As a tribute to our effort to establish our own black-owned print news media publication I can't fail to thank all of those, AS WELL AS ALL OF THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES who helped us by supporting our black print publication. 

Amazingly, the idea took hold, and in spite of the many many obstacles, and everything working against us, we managed to roll out weekly issues of The People's Voice Weekly News, from July of 2005, until around the early part of 2009 — nearly 5 years.  It was a bold undertaking.  But, we were up to the task.​  

It was long overdue for there to exist in our communities, a publication FOR US, BY US, AND ABOUT US!!   ​And this is what we attempted to do.

Pictured at right is an image similar to many others I have received from Jeanetta every July since 2005 — the month and year the inaugural issue of People's Voice Weekly News was first published here in East Alabama.

​I have never forgotten what we did OR why we did it.  I KNOW THAT SHE HASN'T EITHER.

It was a phenomenal undertaking for a small rural black community of people who fully understood that "Real Change" was — and is — in order...  OVERDUE!!  

Interested and COURAGEOUS BLACK PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER EAST ALABAMA AND WEST GEORGIA — the eight (8) counties surrounding Randolph which we targeted as our market — diligently helped us hammer out the newspaper, get them printed, and distribute the papers every week.

WHO WAS INVOLVED?
The Wilkie Clark Memorial Foundation (Publisher)
Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson, Roanoke (Co-Publisher)
Wilkie S. Frieson, Roanoke  (Co-Publisher)
Je'Lynn M. Frieson, Roanoke (Co-Publisher)
Clark Memorial Funeral Service, Roanoke
T. Jeanetta Minnifield Springer, Roanoke (Assoc. Editor)
Carolyn J. Davis, Roanoke, Administrative  Assistant
David B. Baker, Anniston (Board Mbr)

In that first "inaugural issue" we were abundantly clear about why we were doing this.  We were doing this to honor of our community heroes and servants...  So they would not be FORGOTTEN.  

NOT JUST THOSE IN RANDOLPH COUNTY, BUT THROUGHOUT EAST ALABAMA AND WEST GEORGIA!

Here's that featured photo that appeared on our front page of our First Black Weekly Publication.  This would be but one of many beautiful full color photographs of black individuals who would capture our hearts, during that majestic period in publication. 

I will NEVER forget the first shipment of newspapers that were delivered by Fed-X or UPS (I can't remember).  But what I DO REMEMBER, is that everybody rushed over to grab the paper and take a FIRST LOOK.   The broadsheet was HUGE!  Way bigger than any of us imagined.  But what literally took everybody's breath away was the fact that NOBODY could speak.  Everybody in the room, sat in SILENCE — and read.  Nobody could speak.   And for a good 30 to 45 minutes the entire room was silent. That moment was cathartic, to think about what a group of determined black rebels had accomplished.

To learn more about The People's Voice, please visit this link, found on the Clark Memorial Foundation Website.