In celebration of Small Business Saturday, we’ve partnered with Comcast to highlight a handful of the 100 small businesses owned by people of color in Harris and Fort Bend County and are each receiving $10,000 grants from the Comcast RISE Investment Fund.
Forward Times Publishing Company
Founded in 1960, the Forward Times is the is the largest Black-owned and independently published newspaper in the South. It’s the strongest information vehicle and most trusted voice for African Americans in the city of Houston and throughout the southern region.
We checked in with Karen Carter Richards, publisher and CEO, who shared more of her thoughts about her business, Small Business Saturday, and Houston.
On being a small business owner in Houston…
“Being a small business owner is extremely rewarding, even with the peaks and valleys we all experience. I learned how to run this business from my mother, and I saw how she dealt with adversity. In 1971, at the tender age of 29, my mother became the CEO, managing editor and publisher of the Forward Times.
Her doubters predicted that she would be out of business within six months, but to their surprise, we celebrated over 50 years in business under her command. Her strength and tenacity, along with her care for her employees, has helped me weather the storms and continue to take the Forward Times to another level of business.”
On the legacy of the Forward Times…
“The Forward Times was founded in January 1960, under the leadership of my father, the late founder and publisher, Julius P. Carter. He founded the Forward Times as a means of uniting Black Houston to overcome the obstacles that were holding Blacks in the shackles of second class citizenry. He realized that Blacks could only overcome in unity, and needed a mechanism to communicate their needs to one another.
“After the death of my father in 1971, my mother, Lenora “Doll” Carter, inherited the business. I picked up the torch to run the business in 2010, after my mother’s untimely death, having worked alongside and shadowing her for over three decades.”
On her favorite part of being a small business owner…
“I love that the people trust us to tell the stories and provide the information that is important to the African American community. I love that we serve as the strongest information vehicle and most trusted voice for African Americans in the city of Houston and throughout the southern region.”
Support Forward Times Publishing Company
Learn more about Forward Times Publishing Company. You can also follow the publication on Facebook and on Instagram.
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