The Roanoker - March/April 2021 - 31

" We don't print
negative news,
That's what
everybody else
does. The most
important thing
to me is that we
print the positive
side of blackness. "

" I came running there, " she says. " Everything
was laying on the sidewalk. "
At the time, her father was ill, and she was
caring for him. Luckily, Whitworth already had
moved a typesetting machine into her home. She
still published the Tribune that week.
" She is unbendable at times, " says Elam.
Eventually, Whitworth's son, Stan Hale, came
to work with his mother at the Tribune, handling
advertising and layout. Hale practically grew up
at the Tribune, where as a teenager and a college
student he helped prepare newspapers for mailing
and did other odd jobs.
Hale writes some of the Tribune articles, while
others are submitted by local writers and those
who live elsewhere.
Hale says the Tribune's personal connection
to the community and its local news content has
allowed it to remain relevant and successful, despite
the dire environment for newspapers nationwide.
" I am a firm believer that it is the local report that will keep you alive, " Hale
says. " Because of the Internet you can get that national stuff any kind of way. "
Plus, the Tribune focuses solely on the Black community, unlike other local
media outlets.
" We're the only game in town, " Hale says. " Who's going to write about us like
we can? "
The Tribune now publishes its content online, as well as in paper form.
Hale serves as associate editor, and he is responsible for designing the
newspaper's front page, while his sister, Eva Shaw-Gill, also works at the Tribune.
The siblings are two of six total staff members.
Though Hale and Shaw-Gill make the major decisions for the family business,
they always keep Whitworth in the loop.
Hale describes his mother as becoming more mellow over the years in her
approach to work, but " she's still got the drive, " he says.
Through the years, Whitworth has become quite the fixture in Roanoke, where
she is known not only for her work with the Tribune but for her community
service. She has served on numerous boards of local organizations, and she was
inducted into the Virginia Women's Hall of Fame in 1992. In 2004, she was
named Roanoke's Citizen of the Year.
Whitworth also has invested in the neighborhood surrounding the Tribune
building. Whitworth and Hale purchased a former funeral home, located at the
corner of Melrose Avenue and 15th Street, and converted it into a community
center. Its purpose was to be a neutral gathering space for teenagers and other local
groups.
Whitworth also is active in the Baha'i faith, which teaches the essential unity
of all religions and the unity of humanity. She refers to these beliefs often in her
Tribune editorials, with a particular emphasis on love and equality in a recent
Turtle Talk column titled, " You got to care; Man, you got to care. "
" She wants to be a part of things that would address those who struggle
most and wants to make sure that all people are treated fairly, " says Elam of
Whitworth. " She knew she had the power of print to share with people how to
handle injustice.This woman is not going to be stopped as long as she can find a
voice and as long as she can go about it so that it is fair to others. "
Whitworth doesn't plan to stop writing anytime soon, despite her age. In fact,
her strong work ethic may be what has kept her mind sharp all of these years.
" You just keep going day to day, " she says. I

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