Adventist Entrepreneur, Publisher Honored with Congressional Award

From News Release, March 30, 2016:    Donald G. Black, publisher of the Dayton Weekly News and a member of the Ethan Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church in Dayton, Ohio, was presented the Congressional Community Service Award earlier this month. United States Congressman Michael Turner, who represents this Midwest city in the national legislature, came to the church to make the public presentation (see photo).

Black grew up in the Adventist faith and has been an active church all his life. He was a photographer and public relations professional, and is the founder of the newspaper which serves the African American community in the metropolitan area. Dayton has a population of 800,000 and is located roughly halfway between Columbus (Ohio) and Indianapolis (Indiana). It is known as the place where the invention of the airplane originated in the early 20th century, as well as many other technological innovations.

Dayton also has one of the largest per capita Adventist populations of any metropolitan area in the United States. It includes a dozen Adventist congregations with nearly 5,000 adherents in total, as well as Kettering College, Spring Valley Academy, the Kettering Health Network with eight hospitals and the Good Neighbor House social services agency.

Black is also the host of a weekly television news show on the Public Broadcasting System station in the area. He is married to Glenda and they have two adult children, Shronda Smith of Atlanta and Donerik Black of Dayton. They have two grandchildren, Taylor Black and Carlos Smith.

Ethan Temple is an historically African American congregation with about 400 members. It is affiliated with the denomination’s Allegheny West Conference.