Wichita native Bonita Gooch has grown The Community Voice from a small local monthly publication to one of the largest and most widely circulated nondaily papers in the state of Kansas. Join us on May 1 at our monthly luncheon to hear from Gooch on the importance of niche publications and how she has worked to establish the paper as a critical voice in the African-American community and beyond.
Gooch is a publisher, editor, writer, business owner, community activist, concerned citizen and mother of one. A native of Wichita, Gooch left home after high school and returned 23 years later, ready to rest and raise a family. As should be evident from her list of responsibilities, Gooch hasn’t rested yet.
Since November 1996, she’s worked to grow The Community Voice newspaper from a fledgling publication to a force within Kansas. When her family purchased the paper, it was a small monthly publication with limited distribution. Under her leadership, the paper’s distribution has grown into one of the state’s largest circulation nondaily newspaper.
Gooch increased the publication’s frequency from monthly to bi-weekly but is most proud of the reputation the paper has developed across the state for quality and integrity in journalism. She is particularly proud of the advocacy, education and community-building role the paper provides for its primary target, Kansas’ African-American community.
When issues impact the community both directly and indirectly, Gooch can be found attending city, county, school and state governmental meetings. The important issues from these meetings often find their way onto the pages of The Community Voice, as news pieces or as the subject of an editorial. In photo at top left, Gooch relaxes for a photo with Kansas State University’s Willie the Wildcat when she was a guest speaker Feb. 14 in Manhattan. Gooch delivered the 2019 Huck Boyd Lecture in Community Media. Her lecture was “The Grind: Using Journalism as a Community Builder.”
Gooch received her B.S. in journalism and a master’s in public administration, with an emphasis in urban management, from Kansas University. She is a single mother of young, independent daughter Lauren who resides in New York City.
Please RSVP no later than noon Tuesday, April 30. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wpc-monthly-meeting- and-luncheon-may-2019-tickets-60832409374 Remember, the RSVP deadline is firm, and individuals must pay for cancellations received after the deadline.