 December 2020 issue | |
| Type | Monthly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Sandra Williams |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | 1312 N. Monroe Street, #148 Spokane, WA 99201 |
| Circulation | 700. Issues monthly(as of 2016) [1] |
| Website | blacklensnews.com |
Black Lens News is a monthly African-American newspaper based in Spokane, Washington.
The newspaper was founded in 2015 by Sandra Williams who acted as the newspaper's publisher and editor. [2] [3] Williams, who partly grew up in the Spokane area, remembered that the region used to have the newspaper African American Voice, which covered topics relevant to the Black community. [4] She got the idea for creating a new newspaper for the Black community while her father was dying and came out with the first issue in January 2015. [4] A U.S. Justice Department report noting the disproportionate use of force on African Americans in Spokane shaped her vision for the paper, and was the focus of its first lead story. [5]
The newspaper was originally twelve pages and has expanded to 20. [4] It contains Black news highlights from other sources both local and in the larger world as well as local sections such as its "It Takes a Village" section which highlights accomplishments of local people and a regular column "Thoughts from a Grandmother". [4] The newspaper primarily circulates through Black churches and businesses and contains a directory of Black-owned businesses. [6]
Williams ran the paper until she died in a floatplane crash near Whidbey Island on September 4, 2022. She was 60. [7] The paper went on hiatus until relaunching in February 2024 with a new website. [8] Williams’s family, several foundations, local businesses and some journalists from The Spokesman-Review created a non-profit to run the paper following the founder's death. And Gonzaga University has plans to provide office space. [9]
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