56°
LARCHMONT, N.Y. - Paula Eisenberg and Dr. Judy Silberstein co-founded the Larchmont Gazette and will receive a tribute for their contributions to communication, along with their staff, during the 25th Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Jan. 11.
The event, titled "Looking Back, Moving Forward," is hosted by the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Committee on Human Rights, with the help of the Local Summit, a citizen's action group that takes on projects to benefit the community. Each year, they honor one local organization that has made a significant contribution to the community.
Eisenberg and Silberstein launched the Gazette in 2002, which was the first online news site in the community. They suspended it in Sept. 2010. The two also helped create one of the first municipal online web sites in New York State for the Village of Larchmont.
"The Human Rights Committee was impressed by the journalism vigor of the Gazette and believed it helped raise the bar for other area publications and encouraged the founding of other local digital newspapers," Wolfson said.
At first the two founders did most of the writing and editing. But soon professional and non-professional writers and photographers joined the team. When the paper was suspended in September, 2010, it had dozens of regular writers and many more community contributors. Many volunteers who trained under editor Silberstein are now writing for other publications and local not-for-profit organizations.
The Gazette, with all its archival content, is still on line, Ms Eisenberg said. In November, 4000 individuals visited its site.
John Gitlitz will receive the annual Martin Luther King Jr. award for his work with local immigrants rights.
"The social services of his agency and its community education program, which he oversaw, have been widely credited with leading to local acceptance of new immigrants and their right to seek work," said Wolfson, who added that he led HRC during a pivotal period for local immigrant rights.
Will you attend the 25th Martin Luther King Jr. Ceremony Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hommocks Middle School Auditorium?
Click here to follow Daily Voice Mamaroneck and receive free news updates.
