A legacy Black newspaper is expanding its reach while still lifting the voices in marginalized communities.

We’re talking about the Sacramento Observer, which is charting new territory in a familiar place: Stockton.

Dee Shelton is the Sacramento Observer’s first hire in its Stockton office. She focuses on content and community engagement for the award-winning Black newspaper.

“There are so many great stories here. There’s so much history here,” Shelton said.

Larry Lee is the president and publisher of the Observer. He says it’s not their first time here.

“The observer was in Stockton in the late ’70s and early ’80s, but we haven’t been there in about 40 years,” Lee said.

After carefully listening to the community for six months, the Observer is now amplifying its presence while continuing to represent the people they serve.

“The Observer, both in Sacramento and Stockton, is really unapologetically focused on the African American community,” Lee said.

What’s different this time around is that the Sacramento Observer in Stockton is strictly digital. It’s called Stockton Represented.

Shelton explained that their webpage is designed to foster interaction with readers.

“Hearing more about what’s going on is going to help engage people and advocate in speaking up for themselves,” she said. “Not just to be in an article but to represent themselves.”

As for the Observer’s mission, Lee said they aim to do what they do best: informing and educating the Black community.

“They want to know who their leaders are,” he said. “They want to know how to connect with them. They don’t see themselves reflected in a positive manner in Stockton and in the news ecosystem, in general, so our goal is to kind of help uplift that.”

As they continue to build their digital footprint, Shelton said she feels honored working at a place that puts community first.

“This is an authentic, reputable organization that I’m proud to be a part of,” she said.

While the Observer may be younger compared to other Black-owned newspapers, Lee confidently says there are “lots of papers that are older than ours, but none of them are better.”

The Sacramento Observer has been named the nation’s best Black newspaper eight times — twice in the last three years.

This November, they will celebrate 64 years in service.