The St. Louis American and the St. Louis American Foundation have been doing some soul searching and strategic planning lately, thanks to a unique opportunity provided to us by Derwin Johnson Communication Group. Mr. Johnson – a widely traveled African-American man from St. Louis – has a diverse global clientele for his work in messaging and positioning strategy. Because of his special concern for his home community and his strong belief in the work we have been doing in the community for a very long time, he volunteered many valuable hours to meet with the leadership of the paper and its foundation in an effort to help us put into the simplest words possible our vision and mission for celebrating and advocating for this community.
At the risk of giving away any of Mr. Johnson’s trade secrets prematurely, after long hours of goading us to describe what we do and how we wish to be known, he summarized that we are the “independent, trusted, multi-media voice and partner of the African-American community” in St. Louis. We especially cherish that choice of words “voice and partner.” It so happens that while we were working together on this messaging strategy, Inland Press Association announced that The St. Louis American has won an international first place Community Leadership Award. The association has more than 1,200 member newspapers in all 50 states, Canada and Bermuda. The American won in its circulation class (25,001-75,000 circulation) for its annual Salute to Excellence programs, which are produced by the St. Louis American Foundation and benefit its scholarship programs. Inland Press is the sixth newspaper association that has honored The St. Louis American with a first place Community Service award.
From our perspective, there is no higher or more gratifying honor for this newspaper than a Community Leadership Award – it is more important to us than any prize for journalism or promotions. And that is because, as Derwin Johnson so aptly summarized, we are and strive to be your “voice and partner.” We do not attempt only to describe what the community is doing and amplify what is saying. We strive actively to contribute as a partner with this community – and the many other institutions working hard on its behalf – to advance its best interests. Contest judges from the prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism noted that our Salute events and special editions “are symbols of hope and positive direction in St. Louis.” We find that another apt choice of words for the work we are striving to do here. We aim to be your valued voice and partner, offering hope and positive direction in St. Louis, and especially in Black St. Louis, which constitutes almost 20 percent of this metropolitan region’s population. We thank the community (and our advertisers and volunteers) for its encouragement and support over the years. We will continue to work to warrant the privilege of being your voice and partner.
