Nikita Edwards-Brown served as Hosts for the Chattanooga News Chronicle 37th Milestone Celebration on September 18, 2026.
was guest speaker.
Nearly four decades of publication doesn’t come by chance.
For the Chattanooga News Chronicle, 37 years of documenting Chattanooga’s Black community has required intention, resilience and hard work — and speakers at the newspaper’s milestone celebration Friday night said its future will require continued support from advertisers and readers.
“Thirty-seven years doesn’t come about by accident,” said Ruth Williams-Brinkley, keynote speaker for the celebration. “Thirty-seven years comes by intention. It comes by resilience. It comes by hard work.”
Brinkley, a former president and CEO of Memorial Health Care System in Chattanooga, challenged the more than 200 people gathered at Greater Tucker Baptist Church Fellowship Annex to consider what the community would lose if the newspaper were no longer there.
“What would Chattanooga lose if this newspaper wasn’t here? And what responsibility do we share for making sure that doesn’t happen?” she asked.
The milestone celebration, held Sept. 18, recognized the Chattanooga News Chronicle as the longest-operating African American-owned newspaper in Chattanooga history. Founded in 1989 by John Edwards III, the newspaper surpassed the Chattanooga Observer in March 2026.
The evening’s theme, “Honoring Our Legacy, Inspiring Our Future,” reflected both the newspaper’s history and the challenge of sustaining it.
Soulful jazz filled the church fellowship hall as Karen Collins and Friends provided music for an evening of celebration, reflection and fellowship. Community leaders, supporters and long-time friends gathered to recognize the newspaper’s 37 years of service.
Brinkley said the News Chronicle has done more than publish news. For nearly four decades, it has recorded community accomplishments and struggles, recognized leaders, promoted Black-owned businesses, highlighted Black community activities, and preserved the stories of people who might otherwise have been overlooked.
“That is historic and it’s a historic role of the Black press,” Brinkley said.
She said Black newspapers developed in response to mainstream publications that often ignored or misrepresented Black communities, creating a place for Black people to tell their own stories, report injustice and encourage civic participation.
“The Black press did not simply report history, the Black press helped to make history,” she said.
But Brinkley also acknowledged the challenges facing newspapers in an era of social media, websites, podcasts and other rapidly changing forms of communication.
“A social media post may travel quickly, but speed is not the same as accuracy,” she said. “Popularity is not the same as credibility.”
Terry Howard, award-winning writer and contributor to the Chattanooga News Chronicle, made a direct appeal for community support. He encouraged business owners and residents to advertise in the newspaper and to make sure the newspaper remains visible in a variety of businesses and community spaces.
“We can buy ads. We can also ask majority businesses and utilities to advertise. The power of the Black consumer is enormous,” Howard said. “We can also pay attention to when the paper is not in businesses and locations that we patronize.”
Howard pointed to Chattanooga’s Black-owned businesses and Black community as an important potential support base.
“If you drill down even further, there is one Black-owned newspaper. Think about that, folks,” he said.
He recalled the story of Daisy Bates and the Arkansas State Press, a Black newspaper that survived after white advertisers withdrew their support, as an example of the challenges Black newspapers have faced and the importance of community support.
The celebration also connected the News Chronicle’s history to Chattanooga’s broader Black newspaper tradition.
Dr. Sandra Clark, granddaughter of Walter Robinson, publisher and editor of the Chattanooga Observer, reflected on the importance of maintaining an independent Black voice. The Chattanooga Observer operated for 33 years.
“Our voice is unique and it continues to need to be expressed and heard and celebrated,” Dr. Clark said, “Because our needs are unique and we need the newspaper.”
Adrian Edwards, co-publisher, and Nikita Edwards-Brown, Chief Financial Officer, John’s son and daughter, represented the next generation of the newspaper’s leadership.
“We also stand on the shoulders of community leaders, advertisers and supporters who understand the importance of the Black press,” Adrian Edwards said. “Their courage and commitment help create the legacy we honor tonight.”
For John Edwards, the anniversary was personal.
“I am so humbled,” the senior Edwards told the audience. “All the people coming out today, all of the comments, all of the encouragement that has been spoken has really moved me.”
Edwards credited his wife, Faith, Executive Editor, children, and staff for helping to sustain the newspaper. He recalled one of his father’s saying……… “that if someone sees a turtle sitting on top of a fence post, the turtle surely didn’t get there by itself.”
Edwards said he hopes to eventually transition the newspaper to his children, continuing a legacy that began in 1989.
After 37 years, the message from the milestone celebration was clear: The Chattanooga News Chronicle has spent nearly four decades telling Chattanooga’s story. Its next chapter will depend on whether the community continues to help support that voice. (By Brittaney Hale student writer from The Howard School/Yolanda Putnam, Instructor; with edits/CNC Editor)
