The Weekly Challenger :: A Living Memorial to Cleveland Johnson, Jr.

Few individuals make a major impact on others during their lifetime. Even less accomplish things that remain in memory after they pass. Mr. Cleveland Johnson is an exception to both. His philosophy was clear and simple. One could not argue about his focus and how it was the catalyst that influenced the vision of countless people who met him.

Mr. Johnson was an entrepreneur in the truest sense. He created a successful newspaper, The Weekly Challenger, out of virtually nothing, and in doing so he controlled his destiny, and helped others do the same. That is what he preached incessantly; be in control of your own destiny. To achieve that sort of freedom, one must sell, and even more importantly, sell what belongs to them, not someone else’s product or service. In other words, find yourself a business, work it, be successful at it, and thus dramatically reduce your dependence upon others for support. Working for someone else, and having them control your income, has relegated many African-Americans to a beggar race, in some cases more severely than others. Nevertheless, as Mr. Johnson experienced it, working for someone else, and buying and spending more than selling has perpetuated some level of subjugation.
An often-repeated story from those who tried as they could to write stories for him was his response to essentially ''go sell an ad, and keep your story.'' He promoted the participation in commercial enterprise, controlling your destiny. In addition, he backed up what initially seemed like a harsh request by taking so many under his wings and training them to ''sell.'' This town is filled with people who took his advice, and are forever indebted to Mr. Johnson for the success they’ve achieved.For those of us who were not privileged to meet Mr. Johnson and fully understand his philosophy, it does us well to understand the import of the words, ''Black People Must Sell As Well As Buy, Else Remain A ‘Beggar Race.’'' This is critically important when we look at this equation from the buying side. For example, the National Urban League reported that during the decade of the 90s, ''African-American buying power increased almost 73 percent.'' The challenge we face with that increase in disposable income is the problem with too much spending.

Moreover, a 1997 U.S. Census Bureau report showed that Blacks spent from .5 - 15% more money, on average, than all American consumers for necessities like Food, Telephone, Utilities, Clothing, and Major Appliances. Another study by the National Tour Association showed that the Black family median income was 54% - 65% of white families in the four age groups 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, and 65+. Conversely, the same study reported that a Black family earning $30,000 a year spends as much as a white family earning $50,000. No wonder that Mr. Johnson stressed ''Selling'' over ''Buying.'' The net result: a negative net worth for a significant majority of African-Americans when compared to white Americans with comparable incomes. ''Cleve,'' as many affectionately called him, is no longer here, but the stark reality of our plight remains. It thus does us all well to reflect heavily on what motivated him, his legacy: ''Black People Must Sell As Well As Buy, Else Remain A ‘Beggar Race’,'' lest we find ourselves failing to heed Mr. Johnson’s warning issued out of love and respect for all of us!

The End of An Era: Bill Blackshear Retires

ST. PETERSBURG--William ''Bill'' Blackshear, one of the cornerstones upon which The Weekly Challenger was built, retired on January 31, 2002. His departure represents the end of an era. From Army veteran to GE Plant Weapons specialist, from history-making public official to ground-breaking trailblazer and salesperson ''extraordinaire'' of your African-American newspaper, Mr. Blackshear filled a tremendous void while living a public life to its fullest. His story begins in Marianna, Florida on June 1,1935. Bill was born to William Sr. and Julia Blackshear. In 1947, the Blackshear family moved to Safety Harbor. After High School, he served in the Armed forces for six years. In the meantime, Bill married. He and wife, Betty, started a family blessed with five children. Returning to Safety Harbor, Blackshear worked for General Electric’s Pinellas Peninsula Plant, in advanced production on the Atomic Energy Commission contract. He then lent his talents and commitment to public service, first serving as President of the Lincoln Nursery Association, then President of the Lincoln School PTA, and Chairman of the Lincoln Highland Home Improvement Committee. In 1964, then 29-year-old Blackshear achieved a stunning political victory for that period of Segregation: He defeated three white candidates for a Safety Harbor city commission seat. The day after the election, a St. Petersburg Times article headline read, ''Negro Wins City Election.'' Blackshear was the first African-American to run for office in Safety Harbor, and in Pinellas County.
He also was the first Black person elected to public office in Florida since the end of Reconstruction in 1877, according to research by Gloria Gilghrest for the Pinellas County African History Museum. In typical Blackshear style, he was quoted at the time as saying about his victory, ''I don’t feel I have won a victory over anyone. I have been placed in a position of dignity and respect by the citizens and I will try faithfully to measure up to the dignity and trust of this position.''

In 1967, Blackshear teamed up with Cleveland Johnson Jr. to start The Weekly Challenger. It was the beginning of a partnership that would last 34 years. In its heyday during the mid 80s, The Challenger would run 32 pages, with eight pages of color, according to Blackshear. He and Johnson fully accomplished what M.C. Fountain started a few years earlier, creating an advertising-supported news vehicle for the African-American communities of Tampa Bay.
In early 1968, the Community Service Foundation, the organization that financed the newspaper, ended its association with The Weekly Challenge (as it was then called) when M.C. Fountain died. Bill and Cleve had to fend for themselves. It was make or break time, and as history would attest, the dynamic duo not only made it, but made history as well. They immediately changed the name to The Weekly Challenger after holding a reader’s contest to rename the paper. A female contestant helped them see they were only an ''r'' away.When Bill talks about his career, as would be expected, he has only fond memories. But to get him to really talk about his accomplishments, you either have to be a magician, finding just the right magic word, or a dentist, to pry it out of him. However, when I asked him to name some of the ''folk,'' as he affectionately calls people, he was free flowing. He talked about professionals who have shared hallways at the St. Petersburg Times, like Mamie Brown and Peggy Peterman, former staff writers for the Times’ Black Page, John Rogers and Jackie Greene, former Times photographers, and staff writers Roger Clendening and Paul Jerome.

Then he named so many supporters who have made vital contributions to The Weekly Challenger over the years. He recalls long-time employees Cynthia Armstrong, W.L. Jones, and Calvin Adams. In the early days, Norman Jones, Sr., Oradine Hudson, Mabel Cooper, Ike Williams, and Charles Howard were some of the other ''rocks'' upon which the paper was built. Bill recalled that vital contributions, each in their unique ways, were made by David Burgess, Aaron Williams, Daryl Hefty, Bill Thomas, Helen Blue, Al Mitchel, Jeannie Blue, Barbara Bethel, Deannie K Victor, Martin Rainey, Dr. Jimmy Robinson, Frances Pinkney, Willie Salor, Winnie Foster, and Lonnie Donaldson. Then there was the late Ron Lowe, who Bill says got into all kinds of trouble for his association with ''us,'' and W. L. Allen, a writer who ''told it like it is.'' Bill did not want to forget anyone, and is probably cringing at the thought that there are names that he reluctantly could not recall.Blackshear talked about how he and Cleve spent much time helping other Black newspapers, even financing their efforts to get them off the ground. Bill would volunteer days on end actually working for them and training them as a non-paid employee. Bill and Cleve went after big advertisers, veering away from the traditional Black newspaper advertisers, Mom and Pop stores. Bill had instant success. He sought and earned the Public account. The company has since been the most loyal major advertiser supporting The Weekly Challenger since 1968. Then came J.M. Fields, Pantry Pride, and A&P. In 1969, J.C. Penney was added. This new revenue stream allowed The Weekly Challenger to change to a broadsheet format in 1970.In 1977, Bill founded the Southeast Black Publishers Association. Its initial purpose was to be the vehicle for sharing successes, contacts, and resources. They even envisioned creating a statewide agency so that all of the papers in the network could be part of joint buys. Bill was the first president and served for 5 years.In 1991, Bill started up a regional paper, The Tri-County Challenger, focusing on Marion, Citrus, and Hernando counties. The front page was different, along with some inside pages. It was merged with the main paper five years later, and both The Tri-County and The Challenger name again shared the front page, until late 2001.

When talking about his late partner, Bill said, ''Cleve was a unique man. He had some very profound ideas about how people should conduct themselves. He was a people person. We had an extremely worthwhile partnership, and what made it so was that we never lost sight of what we came together for in the 60s. We recognized too that we saw ourselves as being bit players on a very large scale. Both of us tended to shun the spotlight.'' How does he feel about this next phase of his life? Bill says, ''I’ll approach it with the same enthusiasm I always have. Hopefully, I will be able to involve myself more in volunteerism. And maybe fish occasionally. Cleve and I used to fish a lot off of the Skyway.'' What are his parting words to the communities he has so faithfully served, for so many years? ''I am grateful for having the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many folk, of being a part of a program that was geared to the development of the black community as a whole,'' says Blackshear.To those he leaves behind at The Challenger, Bill offered these words: ''I would encourage the staff to work with the new General Manager, and to put forth their best efforts, to offer each other encouragement, and to remember that what we do is not ordinary but extraordinary. We are presenting the printed word to an extraordinary audience that we should not take lightly.''

On January 31, 2002, William Blackshear quietly rode off into his next phase. As he did, I concurred with his long-time professional associate Frances Pinkney’s depiction of him: ''he’s the epitome of dignity and good character; he maintained his loyalty to this newspaper and its communities.'' He promised Cleve he’d hang in there with him during Mr. Johnson’s last couple years. He then promised the surviving Mrs. Johnson that he’d stay on as long as she needed him to. And he made a commitment to me that he wouldn’t leave me in the lurch. True to the end We thank Mr. Blackshear for his contributions and commitment to this newspaper and the communities he has served faithfully for more than 35 years. While we respect his need to move on, this organization will miss his calm and professional demeanor, and the stability he brought to The Weekly Challenger. We are grateful for his trailblazing, and the legacy he has left all of us.

We close this tribute with an excerpt from Bill’s own words, when he served as editor of The Tri-County Challenger. In writing about The Challenger writers, he said, ''I enjoy reading the work of newspaper writers, most especially the work of small, local newspaper writers. I love Rambling with Charles Florence always lends an array of sunshine. Rosetta, a searcher so timely. Khana is young and has already turned the corner. Dianne has flair Allene, thank you for coming back. I believe you saved us. Marilyn, lofty, talented, spirited and an asset. Daniel, a true light bearer. Eugene, a pupil of Paul. Frances, with a talent so immense as to cause the spirit to soar. Jim, courageous and bold. Deannie will keep you on top of things. Ron gives you the ‘Lowe’ down I claim bragging and bottom-popping rights when it comes to Challenger writers. They’re just a cut above.''