Founder of Tennessee Tribune newspaper Rosetta Miller-Perry has died

The founder and publisher of the longest-running African American newspaper in Nashville has died. Rosetta Miller-Perry was 91.  

Miller-Perry started the Tennessee Tribune in 1991 and eventually relocated its offices to historic Jefferson Street, where it stands to this day.  The paper circulates beyond Nashville to include Chattanooga, Knoxville and Memphis. 

Miller-Perry was a Navy veteran and also founded the Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce. She was a respected and outspoken voice for civil rights, a supporter of Black-owned businesses and a proponent of telling stories about the achievements of African Americans in Tennessee. She earned a lifetime achievement award from the National Newspaper Publishers Association in 2019.  

Her passing drew widespread remembrances, particularly from Metro leaders.

“Ms. Miller-Perry ensured that Nashville’s Black community had something invaluable: a newspaper that told our stories, documented our history, celebrated our achievements, and spoke truth without fear or favor,” wrote the Metro Council Minority Caucus. “She understood that when a community controls its own narrative, it protects its own future.”

“She preserved our history, elevated our voices, and held institutions accountable,” wrote Councilwoman Kyonzté Toombs

“Our city and state, our media, and our military organizations — especially military women — mourn the passing,” wrote Karen Johnson, register of deeds in Nashville.

“Her advice was honest, her encouragement unwavering, and her commitment to our community unmatched,” wrote Vivian Wilhoite, Metro property assessor. “She built institutions, elevated voices, and opened doors for generations of leaders.”

Nashville Public Radio has featured interviews with Miller-Perry several times, including an hour-long profile in 2022 on our daily show, This is Nashville, during which she discussed the early challenges of starting the Tribune. 

“When I started out, my, my editors were white. I couldn’t get, I couldn’t get any Black folks to work for me,” Miller-Perry said. “And that’s sad. The only individuals I could find were really working for another company, and they had to work for me like undercover.  In a lot of my early papers, you’ll see a name in there, it’s a fake name because they feared for their upward mobility. And, you know, I lived with that. I still think about that. They didn’t know where I’d be today.”

In an email statement, the Tribune staff said the newspaper will continue to publish and will have tributes to the trailblazer in the coming days. 

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.