In Memory

Akwasi Larry Evans

Akwasi Roselle Evans, who founded the Nokoa The Observer newspaper and covered issues like police misconduct and community empowerment for more than 30 years, died in his Austin home at the age of 70.

The date and cause of his death were unclear Tuesday, and memorial services are pending.

“Nokoa laid the groundwork for fighting for social justice in the local media,” said Nelson Linder, president of the Austin chapter of the NAACP. “He left no stone unturned to find out what was going on in the community.”

Evans — who was born Larry Elvis Dale and later changed his name — launched the publication in 1987 and advocated for social justice issues side-by-side with the community, Linder said, and often delivered the paper himself.

“Everyone knew Akwasi,” said Tommy Wyatt, editor-in-chief of The Villager newspaper. “He was a very congenial person and committed community worker.” Wyatt and Evans, along with co-host Damita Shanklin, had a weekly Friday morningtalk show on 88.7 KAZI FM called The Breakfast Club.

In a 2007 University of Texas video, Evans talks about seeing Martin Luther King Jr. while participating in a 1963 march when he was 15. The moment had a deep impact in shaping the direction of his life, he said.

“I didn’t have that much knowledge when I saw Martin Luther King, but I had pain,” he said.

Evans described Nokoa as “a political progressive newspaper with an Afro-centric perspective,” but also emphasized its multicultural audience. Nokoa means “observer” in Swahili.

Evans, born in Dayton, Ohio, enjoyed learning and traveling abroad. Over the years, he lectured at area universities; recited poetry; organized annual Kwanzaa, Black History Month, and Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations as well as pressured the city to stand firm against apartheid.

“Akwasi was a fighter,” Travis County Precinct 1 Commissioner Jeff Travillion said. “He always fought to make sure that everyone had a place at the table.”

For many years, Evans featured his granddaughter’s eyes as his newspaper’s logo.

“I had a nickname for him,” said his daughter Sherilyn Scott-Blackburn. “It was G.O.D. — good old dad.” When she was 7 years old, she remembered, he encouraged her to pursue her love of singing, which led her to become a vocalist and songwriter.

“I will miss his smile, honesty and laugh,” she said. “There will never be another. My father was a powerhouse.”

In recent years, Evans shared his struggles with keeping the newspaper going, but he persisted. The latest issue was published last week. In his last article he wrote: “NOKOA is still struggling mightily for survival and that strife is testament to our resilience. We started from nothing; with nothing and still don’t have two nickels to rub together. But, what we can boast of is a track record of service and the ability to get back on track every time we get derailed.”

(No obituary has been found but this information was copied from an article published in the Austin Statesman newspaper.)