The skanner., October 28, 2015, The Skanner 40th Anniversary Issue, Page 3, Image 3

#SK40YEARS
October 28, 2015 The Skanner 40th Anniversary Issue Page 3
40 Years of Service
1975-2015
The Skanner’s
Journey
40 Years and Counting
By Helen Silvis
Special to The Skanner News
W
hen we launched The Skanner in October
1975, we said we were here to stay. Forty
years later we are proud to have kept that
promise.
The first Black publishers, John B. Russ-
wurm and Samuel Cornish, knew that African Ameri-
cans needed a newspaper where we could tell our own
stories in our own voices. “We Wish To Plead Our Own
Cause,” they wrote in the first issue of Freedom’s Jour-
nal in 1827. “Too Long Have Others Spoken For Us.”
Almost 150 years later when The Skanner started pub-
State Representative Margaret Carter (center) and Bernie Foster greeting presidential candidate Bill Clinton at the airport
At The Skanner’s 15th anniversary, from left Gloria McMurtry, Jerry Foster, Shirley Minor, and friends
Portland Trail Blazer Mark Bryant (right) listening to director Brian Grubb (in baseball cap) during filming of a public
service announcement for the Northeast Community Development Corporation
“
Thank You to all our read-
ers and supporters wherever
you are
lishing, Black folks and minority communities in the
Pacific Northwest still lacked representation in media.
That’s why for many years our masthead affirmed, “No
Other Can Speak For Us.”
We set out then to give a voice to African Americans
and other minority communities in the Pacific North-
west. Now as we celebrate our 40th anniversary, we
want to say a heartfelt Thank You to all our readers and
supporters wherever you are.
For the last four decades you have brought us your
stories of struggle and success. Through creating visual
art, music, poetry and dance you enriched life for peo-
ple of all colors and backgrounds. You campaigned tire-
lessly to right injustices and to improve opportunities
in education, work and business. You helped us tell the
world what must change–and why. Without your voices
and your support we would not be here. Your trust and
confidence empower us to hold leaders accountable and
to pursue your hopes and dreams for the future.
Over the years we found our brand of journalism ap-
peals to people of all colors who care about justice and
equity.
So, dear readers, we dedicate this 40th anniversary
edition of The Skanner to you. Let’s celebrate together.