LENORA

We did a thing, y’all!! I’m officially in the @nprmusic #TinyDeskContest, and we’d love your support! 🥰✨ 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰!! Also, the link to the full video is in my bio—watch it, show some love and let’s make it happen together. 🤘🏾❤️✨ Directed By @thejayspence @creativebay.us PA: @_kilian.edwin Special Thanks: @berealkiiid Filmed at @hvmlhtx1 Keys: @fre_shprince Drums: @dhutsonlive Bass: @jg_music923 Guitar: @halstoncoffee Percussion: @reipercs Song produced by @poly3st3r

Long Live the Chief ✨

Houston politics has been a lot, and another runoff is here before most of us had a chance to catch our breath. Before early voting begins May 18, the Forward Times is giving Houston voters the recap they actually need — breaking down the races, the stakes, and why this is not the cycle to tune out. Read the full editorial by Chelsea Lenora Small (@sincerelylenora ), Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, via the link in our bio. 🔗 🗣️ Forward Fam: early voting starts May 18, Election Day is May 26. Are you ready? _____________ #ForwardTimesHouston #HoustonPolitics #HoustonRunoff #VoteHouston #HarrisCountyVotes

Checking into the timeline to let y’all know I’m alive. Meta tried to take me out, but we are SO back 💅🏾 Story time soon.

#ItsASmallWorld… especially this time of year 🤍 Had a little downtime at the airport and took a trip down memory lane… turns out I’ve got too many favorite moments of us to fit in one reel, but here’s a few ✨ Happy Birthday, my love @jarrensmall 🥳

2yrs down! This year tested us in every direction, and you still showed up like a superhero. My peace, my coach, my comedian, my safe place. Marriage isn’t a trend, it’s a daily choice. A practice. A promise. And even on the hard days, we kept choosing. We kept growing. We kept loving with intention. Here’s to more evolution, grace, and a love that refuses to fold. #ItsASmallWorld

Communitying with @thirdwardlittleleague ❤️ 📷: @troyezeq

This month and every month, I honor the women who made space for me, so I can make space for the next. And the next after that. There was a time I was afraid to take up space. Now I’m focused on creating it. For our stories. For our voices. For our community. This era is about building the kind of rooms we deserve to walk into. ✨ 📷: @thevpwright

Being invited to share the legacy of @forwardtimes on @cw39houston ’s “Honoring Black History” special felt deeply personal. For Black History Month, the team did not just want an interview. They wanted to walk the halls. To step inside our historic headquarters on Almeda where we have been planted since 1961. To flip through archives that date back to our very first edition on January 30, 1960. What started in my grandfather Julius P. Carter’s garage as a positive Negro newspaper is now one of the largest independently owned Black publications in the country. For 66 years, we have never missed a week of print. That kind of consistency is not accidental. It is legacy. It is sacrifice and it is faith. Watching my mother carry this institution forward after both of her parents passed and transition us from print into the digital era has been one of the greatest masterclasses of my life. She did not just maintain what was built. She expanded it. Now, we lead together, with her wisdom guiding us and her trust allowing me to step forward and carry the vision into its next era. What makes this chapter especially meaningful is that no one had to pass away to pass the torch. I get to build beside her while also taking the lead in innovating, expanding, and positioning Forward Times for the generations to come. I feel aligned with my purpose. Entrusted with something sacred. Walking and working in the shadow of a giant and committed to honoring the foundation while boldly building what is next. Thank you to CW39 for stepping inside the history and helping us share it. ✨

A century of Black history. Sixty-six years of Forward Times bearing witness. This year’s Black History Month Special Edition is themed re[RIGHT]ing history — because in a moment when truth is being challenged, restricted, and reshaped in real time, preserving record is not optional. It is responsibility. In this video, our Editor-in-Chief, @sincerelylenora , reads her first Letter from the Editor and reflects on the legacy of our founder, Julius P. Carter — her grandfather — and the weight of protecting an institution built to publish the truth without fear or favor. From our founding in 1960, to surviving a bombing in 1971, to continuing the work today, Forward Times has remained committed to documenting our community with clarity and courage. Watch the full video on YouTube at the link in our bio. _________ #reRIGHTingHistory #ForwardTimes #BlackPress #66YearsStrong #BlackJournalist

Honored to attend this morning’s Faith Leaders Breakfast with Congresswoman @jasmineforus as she shared her vision for a people-powered U.S. Senate campaign. I was proud to represent @forwardtimes in the room and to affirm the vital role media plays in this critical moment. As conversations around civic engagement, voter access, and accountability continue to shape our communities, we have a responsibility to ensure our audiences are informed, engaged, and empowered to participate in the democratic process. I appreciated the opportunity to connect directly with the Congresswoman and to be part of a thoughtful dialogue on how faith leaders, community advocates, and media can work together to move our communities forward. ✨

Proof of life + a little peek into my uniform these days. Tailored shirt, cargos, SnapBack with a statement earring are my current go-to and obsession. 🙂‍↕️ Having fun defining how I show up in this Editor-in-Chief era while keeping it very me. 🤎