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B.L.A.C. Detroit Magazine's Publisher Brings The Publication Into A New Era

Southfield (CW50) - B.L.A.C. Detroit Magazine, Detroit's premier lifestyle magazine for African Americans, was sold to Billy Strawter Jr. in early 2020. As a longtime investor of the magazine, Strawter thought it was time to take on a new challenge in his career by running a major publication.

B.L.A.C. covers the people, places and issues of importance to the Black community. It strives to be inclusive of the entire African diaspora in our region, covering African descendants of various national and ethnic backgrounds.

This area of focus has been put into a national spotlight in the last few years, as race relations are in a pivotal point in time. Not to mention that the entire globe is in the midst of a pandemic. As the publisher of B.L.A.C., Strawter knew it was his responsibility to tell these stories from the perspective of the Black community.

Billy Strawter Jr., Publisher of B.L.A.C., joins Lisa Germani on Community Connect to discuss his purchase of the magazine, and what he's done since becoming publisher in order to grow the magazine and take it into a new era.

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Only just a couple of months into his tenure, the George Floyd protests swept across the nation. Strawter knew that the way the publication covered these protests would have to be right, and he took it upon himself to make a decision that would establish his role as the leader of B.L.A.C. Detroit Magazine. Strawter made the decision to scrap the June issue of the publication and devote it entirely towards the protests and the racial tension seen across the country. His editor and the rest of the team worked tirelessly to put out an issue that would make an impact on the community and show that their magazine was here to highlight the importance of the protests.

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George Floyd Protests in Detroit, 2020

Strawter commended Detroit's residents for showing a lot of civility during the protests after seeing the violence while he was staying in Chicago a few days prior.

Strawter has big dreams for B.L.A.C., including one that takes the magazine nationwide.

You can check out B.L.A.C Detroit Magazine at Blac.media

Watch Community Connect, Saturday at 7am on CW50

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