Leaders across the country are remembering James Washington, president and general manager of the Atlanta Voice, one of many newspapers that are part of the Black Press. The husband of Atlanta Voice Publisher Janis Ware, Washington died April 2, less than a month before his 74th birthday. He was 73.
Washington was laid to rest after leaders celebrated his life at Elizabeth Baptist Church in South Fulton, Georgia.
A beloved figure in the Black Press, Washington served as co-publisher of The Dallas Weekly. He was known as a genuine individual who always put the interests of the Black Press above his own.
According to the Washington Informer, in 2019 and 2021, Washington considered a run to chair the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of the more than 250 African American-owned newspapers. In both cases, Washington declined to compete against his friends, Houston Forward Times Publisher and former chair Karen Carter Richards, who held the post for two terms, and the current chair, Westside Gazette Publisher Bobby Henry. Instead, Washington pledged to support them.
Washington wrote a weekly column in the Atlanta Voice called “Spiritually Speaking.” The column title was also the title of a book he authored in 2019 called Spiritually Speaking, Reflections For and From a New Christian.
Washington’s column aimed to help readers gain strength by obtaining a spiritual perspective from life experiences. Three days after his death, The Voice published Washington’s latest column, called “Count on Him.” The column talked about God’s consistency in keeping his promises to everyone.
Born in Lafayette, Louisiana, Washington was the youngest of two sons. His family moved to Chicago, where Washington graduated from De La Salle Institute, a prestigious private high school whose alumni include broadcasters Greg Gumbel and his brother, Bryant Gumbel, as well as Chicago Mayors Richard J. Daley and his son Richard M. Daley.
Following in the footsteps of his mother, Cecilia Eva Burns Washington, Washington attended a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he received a bachelor’s degree in English and Instructional Media. He earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was a Danforth Fellow.
Washington served on the Board of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. He is a former tri-chair of Dallas’ Commission on Race Relations and the Dallas Together Forum. He is also a former member of the Federal Reserve Bank’s Small Business and Agriculture Advisory Committee in Dallas. Washington was named “Man of the Year” in 1986 by the Dallas Metropolitan Club of Negro Business and Professional Women.
Washington has been honored by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, The Links, Inc., United Way, Dallas Independent School District, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, Daniel “Chappie” James Learning Center, the NAACP, KKDA and KRLD radio stations, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas Museum of Arts and the State Fair of Texas.
In 2019, Washington was a National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Legacy Award winner. He served on numerous boards in Dallas Texas and nationally.
In addition to his wife Janis Ware, survivors include Washington’s two children, Patrick and Elena by a previous marriage and three grandchildren, James Spencer Emanuel Washington, Penelope Elena Jimenez Washington and William Emmanuel Edward Austin Bonifay.
