The Westside Gazette

The Westside Gazette
TypeWeekly newspaper
FounderLevi Henry
Founded1971
Headquarters545 N.W. 7th Terrace,
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
Websitethewestsidegazette.com

The Westside Gazette is a newspaper based in Broward County, Florida. It was established to serve an African American audience and is the oldest African-American newspaper in the region.[1]

History

Levi Henry (born Levi Henry, Jr.; April 3, 1932 - April 7, 2026)[2] [3]established the Westside Gazette in 1971, reportedly with "$158 and [his] good name".[4] Henry, who began his career selling ads for radio station WRBD his contacts to advertisers to his new paper.[1] The paper has broken several stories in South Florida's African-American community, including a 1990 incident in which longtime Fort Lauderdale Mayor Bob Cox told fourth-grade students that in order to be mayor, one had to be "free, white and 21".[4]

A weekly paper, The Westside Gazette is now owned by Levi Henry's son, Bobby Henry. Henry's wife, Bertha Henry, was the Chief Executive of Broward County, Florida (County Administrator) for over a decade. Circulation of the newspaper increased from 10,000 copies in 1971 to 70,000 copies in 2001.[4] PBS correspondent Yamiche Alcindor interned at the paper when she was in high school.[5]

Competing African-American newspapers have alleged that The Westside Gazette inflates circulation numbers.[6][7]

In 2025 the Westside Gazette entered into a partnership with the Broward County Library in order to preserve and digitize older issues of the newspaper. The issues are available through the Broward County Library Digital Archives.[8] The partnership won the 2026 Library Media/Business Partner of the Year Award from the Florida Library Association.[9]

Awards

The Westside Gazette newspaper, nominated by Florida's Broward County Library , received the 2026 FLA Library Media/Business Partner of the Year Award.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 Bothel, Todd L. (2015). Legendary Locals of Fort Lauderdale. Arcadia Publishing. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-4671-0220-9. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Obituary for Reverend Levi Henry Jr. at James C. Boyd Funeral Home, Inc". www.jcboydftlauderdale.com. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  3. ↑ Henry, Carma (April 9, 2026). "A GIANT has transitioned". The Westside Gazette. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Olmeda, Rafael A. (February 19, 2001). "'WESTSIDE GAZETTE' IS A FAMILY TRADITION". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  5. ↑ Frye, Hayden (May 23, 2025). "With Heart". College of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  6. ↑ Jones, Elgin (September 30 – October 6, 2005). "Report Claims: Westside Gazette Outlandishly Inflated Circulation Numbers". Broward Times. No. 39. ProQuest 367827676. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  7. ↑ Norman, Bob (April 27, 2006). "Oh, Henrys". New Times Broward-Palm Beach.
  8. ↑ "CONTENTdm". digitalarchives.broward.org. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Broward County Library named Florida's 2026 Library of the Year". Payload Website Template. April 17, 2026. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Broward County Library Named Florida's 2026 Library of the Year". webapps.broward.org. Retrieved June 13, 2026.


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