Newsletter

Senator Darryl Rouson Supports Partnership between the Poynter Library at USF St. Petersburg and The Weekly Challenger

Former Representative and now State Senator served as a strong advocate to strengthen a partnership between The Weekly Challenger—a newspaper that has served African American communities along Florida's west coast since 1967—and the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

Through his leadership, collaboration with other members of the Pinellas County Legislative Delegation, and the support of the 2016 legislature and Governor Scott, the Poynter Library received a $300,000 recurring allocation for this important preservation and sustainability initiative. In November, Sen. Rouson won a seat in the Florida Senate. His new district includes portions of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

The 2010 recipient of the Chancellor's Award for Civic Leadership from University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP), Sen. Rouson understands the important role that community institutions, including the press, play in fostering dialog, education and collaboration. He became involved in conversations that led to the donation of the newspaper and photographic archive of The Weekly Challenger to Poynter Library's Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) in March 2013.

Sen. Rouson and other community leaders participated in meeting with Lyn Johnson and other members of the Johnson family that has published the Challenger since its inception, as well as with leaders in USFSP University Advancement and the Poynter Library. In 2013-2014, the library developed a plan to curate, preserve, and digitize the newspapers. Other meetings focused on the importance of sustaining the Challenger and similar publications that serve as an important voice within their respective communities.

The funding secured by Sen. Rouson has two important components: Preservation and Sustainability. The Poynter Library oversees both parts of this initiative. The Poynter Library will preserve all existing physical issues of the newspaper and the original documents will have a secure home in Special Collections. The library's Special Collections department also seeks to fill gaps of missing issues in the years between 1967 and the late 1990s.  In addition, the library has started the process of digitizing print documents and creating an online platform that will allow researchers throughout the world to access earlier issues of the paper without cost. This portal, Digital USFSP (http://digital.usfsp.edu/) will have content in Spring 2017.

The sustainability component involves the newspaper and USFSP exploring collaborative partnerships that will expand the newspaper's reach and reaffirm the importance of sustaining Florida's African-American press through market research, business plans, conversations and symposia. In addition to partnerships with the Poynter Institute, this effort involves students and faculty at USFSP's Neighborhood News Bureau, as well as various experts from business, industry and education. A symposium focusing on the needs of the African American press in Florida is under development at this time.

Catherine Cardwell, Dean of the Poynter Library, understands the value of partnerships such as the one fostered by Sen. Rouson. "The Poynter Library is pleased to be given the opportunity to support this important initiative," she said, adding that, "Preserving and digitizing The Weekly Challenger will allow scholars, teachers and students in Florida and around the world to access the archive and integrate the material into their research, teaching, and, most importantly, learning."

Since the initiative began in July, the Poynter Library has received more than 5,000 photographic prints and 12,000 digital photographs from the Challenger.  In addition, the library has accessioned more than 800 original issues of the paper and launched a campaign that has received the attention of the Tampa Bay Times and Bay News 9 to collect missing issues of the newspaper and other collections related to African American history in Pinellas County.

The Poynter Library and USFSP hosted a reception on November 7, 2 to recognize Sen. Rouson and members of the Johnson family.  The library's atrium was transformed into a place where University officials, local political leaders, and members of the community celebrated the newspaper's valuable history, while also looking forward to a partnership that will allow the newspaper to remain a vital and vibrant voice for years to come.

Thank you, Senator Rouson, for your efforts to make this partnership a reality.