Neptune Township honors Unheard Voices founder and CEO, other prominent Jersey shore journalists

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Neptune Township, New Jersey honored Unheard Voices Magazine and other prominent Black journalists at its 17th annual Black history celebration. The event took place Saturday, February 15 at the Performing Arts Center at Neptune High School.

“Speaking Truth: African Americans in Journalism” and “African Americans and the Vote” were the themes of this year’s program.

Journalists’ past and present were recognized. The keynote speaker was Michelle Rice, general manager of TV One and a Neptune High School graduate.

Unheard Voices Magazine honored

Mr. Covin, founder of Unheard Voices and his daughter, C. Covin, the CEO and a Neptune High School graduate, were honored for more than 15 years of social justice journalism locally and aboard.

Founded in 2004 as a newsletter, Unheard Voices has worked with organizations and the community continuously striving to be a beacon for the voiceless.

Other honorees included:

Robert Farley, whose career in radio broadcasting spanned over 40 years. He has performed in every field of entertainment including radio, television, stage, movies and print media.

Constance Holmes, whose writing career began in 1979 with Exposure, a local magazine in Asbury Park. She also contributed to other publications in New York and worked as a staff writer for Shore African American Magazine.

Evelyn Payne, who wrote articles for The Ocean Grove Times, The Coaster and The Shore View as community-parent liaison and public information specialist for Neptune schools.

Alesha Williams Boyd, USA TODAY Network Northeast Senior Digital Director, of Neptune. Boyd oversees digital news operations for the northeast region of Gannett, including the Asbury Park Press.

Pat Battle, the co-anchor for NBC 4 New York’s “Weekend Today in New York” and a graduate of Neptune High School.

Chanta L. Jackson, a Neptune graduate, served as a copy editor, Deputy City Editor, Recruiter and Multimedia Publishing Manager in her 15 years at The Star-Ledger.

Lorraine Stone, who in 1973 became the first African American news reporter for the Asbury Park Press. Stone is a graduate of Neptune High School. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines, including Essence and Black Enterprise.