Thomas H. Watkins, born September 1937 – December 2025, the founder, CEO and publisher of the New York Daily Challenge. The first daily Black newspaper in New York City. At the height of its operation, Watkins’ award-winning, flagship publication brought in nearly $30M per year and employed dozens of African-Americans from its headquarters in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
As an advocate for the power of the Black voice and dollar, over the decades, Watkins became a Black print media mogul founding and acquiring titles including the Afro Times, New American, Jersey City Challenge, Paterson-Passaic Challenge and Newark Challenge. He is a past president of the National Newspaper Publishing Association and continues to sit on the board after decades of service…