Houston publisher

The Black press lost one of its own recently with the unexpected death of the CEO and publisher of the Houston Forward Times, Lenora “Doll” Carter. She was discovered by her daughter at her Texas residence, after an apparent heart attack. She was 69.
Carter became an iconic figure in the national Black media, after succeeding her late husband Julius Carter, as publisher of the Houston Forward Times in 1971. The paper plays a major role informing Houston’s African-American community about key issues of concern.
“When [Julius Carter] died in 1971, some people predicted [the newspaper] would be out of business in six months. After a year, they gave [Carter] another time limit. This October we will celebrate our 50th anniversary . . . The drive she had for this business was just phenomenal,” said her daughter Karen Carter Richards.
During Carter’s 39-year-tenure, she received numerous awards and honors including the National Newspaper Publishers Association Publisher of the Year Award, the NAACP’s Mickey Leland Humanitarian Award, the National Council of Negro Women Pacesetters Award, and the Ethel Ransom Art and Literary Outstanding Leadership Award. Carter was also the Treasurer for the NNPA.
Family and friends said, “Carter’s legacy will live on not only through the newspaper, but through the journalists and countless others she has inspired along the way. The paper will continue to honor both Carter and her husband’s work as pioneers in journalism for the African-American community.”
“Lenora was not only a friend toward advancing African-American achievement; overall, she personified distinctive grace, character and style as a ‘chaplain for the common good’ as publisher and managing editor of The Houston Forward Times,” said John B. Smith, Sr., publisher/CEO of the Atlanta Inquirer.
“Lenora will be profoundly missed, and may her light forever shine as a genuine star within the galaxy of faithful and dedicated journalists who worked diligently to improve America’s lot. May God rest and bless the soul and spirit of a one-of-a-kind giant, Lenora ‘Doll’ Carter,” said Smith.
All funeral services for Carter will be held this weekend in Houston.
Anyone who would like to honor Lenora, the family asked that in lieu of flowers, make a donation to: Julius and Lenora Carter Scholarship and Youth Foundation.
Carter was born in Corrigan, Texas. She is survived by her husband James McDaniel, her two daughters, Constance Carter and Karen Carter Richards, and her three grandchildren Jesse Frazier II, Chelsea White and Nykayla Richards.