LANSING, Mich. — Jay Price, a Black journalist who made his mark in both radio and newspapers, has died. He was 73.
But instead of mourning, his family and friends are celebrating his life and appreciating the legacy he leaves behind.
Price worked as a journalist for more than 50 years, starting his career in radio in the 1970s.
Price’s radio career took him to several markets, including Lansing, where he was a DJ.
Price's daughter Yancie Jackson remembers listening to her dad on the radio as a kid.
“'Ice Ice Baby' was really hot, Vanilla Ice..." she said. "They would play that the instrumental."
After years on the radio, Price decided it was time for a career change.
“With the resources my father had, he was able to make things work,” Jackson said. “You know, he took his career from media and transitioned it over to the newspaper print side.”
In 1986, Price started The Chronicle News, a newspaper that tells stories about Black people from the perspective of Black people.
Jackson said Price decided to start the newspaper during the war on drugs, a time when Black people were often portrayed negatively.
“That was a story or that was a narrative that we had no control over,” said Jackson. “This was something that was started so that we can control the narrative and let people know, 'This is who we really are.'”
The Chronicle News has been operating for more than 35 years. Price didn’t launch it alone. His wife Carolyn Carter helped him start the paper and she worked as a layout designer until she passed away in 2018.
“They loved each other, they worked together and they showed me you don’t have to be perfect to stay together,” said Jackson.
So what happens now for The Chronicle News? Jackson is following her father’s footsteps and has decided to become the new publisher.
“This is how I put it, I don’t try and fill my dad’s shoes, but what I do is I pick those shoes up and I take them with me and then jump into my own shoes," she said.
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