The Black Press Mourns One of Its Greatest: Rosetta Miller-Perry’s Legacy Lives On

Founder of the Tennessee Tribune, civil rights champion, and beloved NNPA leader remembered for her fearless journalism, quiet strength, and unforgettable spirit.

 By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.

Publisher, Westside Gazette | Immediate Past Chairman, National Newspaper Publishers Association

The Black Press family has lost one of its towering matriarchs.

With the passing of Rosetta Miller-Perry, founder and publisher of the Tennessee Tribune, Black America has lost a courageous publisher, a civil rights advocate, an entrepreneur, and a woman whose life’s work ensured that our stories would never be ignored.

For more than three decades, Ms. Perry stood as one of the nation’s most respected voices in Black journalism. She founded the Tennessee Tribune in 1991 after investing her own money when others refused to invest in her vision. From that act of courage grew one of the country’s most influential Black-owned newspapers, a publication dedicated to informing, empowering, and uplifting communities across Tennessee.

Her influence extended well beyond her newspaper. Within the National Newspaper Publishers Association, Rosetta Miller-Perry was admired as both a leader and a mentor. She represented the very best traditions of the Black Press: independence, integrity, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to truth.

But those of us, fortunate enough to know her personally, will remember something even greater.

We will remember her smile. We will remember her laugh. And we will remember that mischievous sparkle in her eyes that reminded you she could be both dignified and delightfully funny.

I remember one particular occasion during the NNPA Midwinter Conference in Florida when Ms. Perry was being honored with NNPA’s Lifetime Achievement Award or Publisher of the Year, one of them because she was well deserving. As part of the celebration, we held a lighthearted roast in her honor.

Knowing she had once worked as a mortician, I couldn’t resist teasing her.

I joked that if anyone ever crossed Ms. Perry, she could simply make them disappear—and with her background, nobody would ever know what happened to them.

The room exploded with laughter.

Rosetta didn’t say a word. Instead, she looked at me with that unmistakable expression that seemed to say, “Don’t push me… it could happen”.

The audience laughed even harder. That was Rosetta. She possessed a dry wit that never needed to be loud. She understood the value of laughter, even while carrying the tremendous responsibility of publishing a newspaper.

Beneath all of her business savvy was a woman whose heart was even larger than her accomplishments.

As I reflect on our friendship, I can think of no better way to describe her than this:

Ms. Perry had the genuine sweetness of your favorite aunt with the wisdom and sage counsel of your gangster uncle. She was just a well-rounded person full of love and wisdom.

That was Rosetta.

She could encourage without flattering. Correct without humiliating. Lead without demanding recognition.

She was respected because she earned respect because she asked for it. She belonged to a generation of Black publishers who understood that newspapers were never simply businesses. They were instruments of freedom.

Every edition she published was another declaration that our voices mattered. Every headline was another chapter preserving Black history. Every young journalist she mentored became another link in the chain that has sustained the Black Press for nearly two centuries.

As we mourn her passing, we also celebrate her extraordinary legacy.

The Tennessee Tribune stands today because Rosetta Miller-Perry dared to believe that Black communities deserved a newspaper that reflected their hopes, struggles, victories, and dreams.

She proved that courage could build institutions. She proved that integrity could sustain them. And she proved that love for one’s community could leave a legacy that death itself cannot erase.

To her family, the staff of the Tennessee Tribune, and publishers throughout the NNPA, we extend our deepest condolences and heartfelt prayers.

Thank you, Ms. Perry, for every lesson, every laugh, every sacrifice, and every edition.

Your voice may now be silent, but your impact will continue speaking through generations of journalists yet to come.

“Rest well, Queen of the Black Press. Your watch is over. Ours continues because of you”.

       At press time, funeral arrangements for Ms. Rosetta Miller-Perry were incomplete. Lewis & Wright Funeral Directors (615-255-2371) or Lewisandwright1@gmail.com is handling the arrangements. Updated service information will be available through the funeral home.

       The Westside Gazette extends its heartfelt condolences to the Miller-Perry family, the staff of the Tennessee Tribune, and the entire National Newspaper Publishers Association family. We ask our readers to keep her loved ones in their thoughts and prayers as they celebrate the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of one of the Black Press’s greatest pioneers.

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