Thursday, September 5th will mark fifty years since the publication of the Winston-Salem Chronicle’s inaugural issue. That evening, MUSE Winston-Salem (MUSEws) and the Winston-Salem African American Archive (WSAAA) will welcome the community to a pop-up exhibition and a panel discussion of Chronicle alumni, who will reflect on a half-century of the city’s African-American newspaper and its place in the history of the Black press.

Attendees are encouraged to come early and enjoy the exhibit featuring highlights from the Chronicle’s coverage, along with select artifacts and imagery from the holdings of the WSAAA. “Long-time Chronicle publisher Ernie Pitt has contributed some wonderful material from his career and Chronicle newsroom to our archive over the years,” says WSAAA director Billy Rich. “This is a great occasion to share it with the community.”

The panel discussion of Chronicle alumni will include Ernie Pitt (Chronicle co-founder & former publisher), Allen Johnson (formerly the managing editor of the Chronicle and current executive editorial page editor at the Greensboro News & Record), Robin Adams Cheeley (former Chronicle reporter), James Parker (former Chronicle staff photographer), and Angela Daniels (former Chronicle senior account sales representative). Dr. Mike Wakeford, executive director of community history museum MUSE Winston-Salem, will moderate the panel. “The Winston-Salem Chronicle was, and still is, a pioneering Twin City institution. For fifty years its reporting on the Black community has been an indispensable part of the local media landscape,” Wakeford says. “From a historical perspective, its archive allows us to tell the city’s history more fully and truthfully.”

The event will be held at MUSE Winston-Salem, located at 226 S. Liberty Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. On Thursday evening, September 5th, museum doors open at 6:00pm, allowing guests time explore the exhibit. Light refreshments will be served. The panel discussion will begin at 7:00pm. This event is free and open to the public.

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Winston-Salem African American Archive