James A. Washington: Black Press, Community Advocate Passes

By Stacy M. Brown
Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

NNPA Newswire
As the headline in this week’s Atlanta Voice was heartbreaking, it proved fitting. Straight and to the point, an obituary by Donnell Suggs came with the headline, “James A. Washington, 73, a champion of Black press and journalism, passes away.” Washington was straight and to the point, a champion of the Black press, an astute spokesman for journalism, and a rare gem who earned trust on his first words in a conversation.

Washington, former Publisher of the Dallas Weekly, was the president and general manager of the Atlanta Voice.

Sugg’s column noted that Washington had been involved in nearly every level of the communications field for over four decades. From his time as the publisher of The Dallas Weekly, a Black-owned and operated publication, to his work as the public relations manager for the Dallas Ballet, Washington had always been a strong representation of Black excellence and intelligence.

Washington twice served on the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce board, the Dallas Arboretum, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, and the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

He was a former tri-chair of Dallas’ Commission on Race Relations and the Dallas Together Forum. He was also a former member of the Federal Reserve Bank’s Small Business and Agriculture Advisory Committee in Dallas. Jim was named “Man of the Year” in 1986 by the Dallas Metropolitan Club of Negro Business and Professional Women.

He was honored for outstanding community service by organizations such as 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.

Washington earned his bachelor’s degree in English and Instructional Media from Historically Black College and Southern University. He also earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

An author, Washington published his book Spiritually Speaking, Reflections For and From a New Christian, in 2019. His column “Spiritually Speaking” appeared in many Black-owned  newspapers across the nation.

Washington is survived by his wife, The Atlanta Voice publisher Janis Ware; his children, daughter Elena Bonifay (husband David Bonifay) and son Patrick Washington (wife Jessica Washington); his grandchildren James Spencer Emanuel Washington, Penelope Elena Jimenez Washington and William Emmanuel Edward Austin Bonifay, and his nieces and nephews.