Nearly ten years ago, born out of entrepreneurial zeal and desire to serve the African-American communities of north Texas, we published our first edition of Minority Opportunity News (MON). From our very first edition, our vision was to produce a newspaper that could serve as a link to bring
together the myriad of political, educational and business issues, and opportunities that otherwise might not have received the focus and attention they deserved.
In that effort, we must admit that, from time to time, we have “pushed the envelope” to bring a new and meaningful light to topics. In this sense our aim was not only to report news, but also to serve as an agent for change towards making a difference for the good in the lives of our readers. Taking this more controversial posture has brought significant and far-reaching improvements in the community. For example, the profile and responsiveness of many of the area financial institutions has been heightened, largely because of the consistent examination and focus that MON brought to their lending and community reinvestment practices. Likewise, MON has been a long-term partner with non-profit organizations, such as the African-American Pastors Coalition, to encourage housing and economic development efforts throughout our area.
An old adage suggests, “Change is not produced by complacent people.” Clearly, producing positive change has been a hallmark of MON, and will continue to be so in the future. With all the successes of the last ten years, including acclaim from other professional media organizations, we know that much more remains to be done. In this regard, we are now embarking on what we believe to be the new vista of our service to the community.
With this edition, we close our offices in Dallas and relocate to Plano. This move is based on the recognition of the substantial and growing minority community in the north Dallas/north Texas region and the need for a quality publication that speaks to their interests, needs and desires. Our move in no way indicates a diminishing of our concern and attention to central Dallas and the southern sector. Rather, the relocation gives us a fresh opportunity to base our operations so as to expand the nature and scope of the coverage, and hopefully, our impact. We are excited about the move and are encouraged by the very positive reception we have received thus far.
As is the case with any major change, this move also gives us a moment to reflect and thank those who have made our success possible. We continue to be blessed with a strong and committed editorial and business staff that willbring this same professionalism and emphasis to our new offices. Their efforts throughout our existence have helped MON gain great prestige, business and circulation, and its greatest asset – the confidence of our readers. Their great work has contributed to turning out a newspaper that met the needs of our readers and became a welcome friend in homes and businesses throughout our circulation area. We remain mindful of the vital contributions to its progress by our workers in all departments; their fidelity, energy and vision has lead to our success through the years.
We are proud to have sponsored internships and scholarships to support young journalists. MON was quick to support fund-raisers for the needy, contributing monetary and editorial support to ensure their success. And there were the intangibles, the contributions not noticed by much of the public, such as assisting hundreds of families in obtaining employment, clothing, food and shelter through our news stories. We didn’t forget that it was your newspaper, too, and our letters to the editor section was heavily solicited to express your views. Yes, you have a voice in every issue.
All these strengths go with us to our new offices and should serve to boost the confidence of our readers, advertisers and employees that truly, the best is yet to come.
