The Buckeye Review is entering its next chapter.
Under the leadership of sisters Dontaira Terrell and attorney Zakkiyyah Terrell White, Esq., the historic newspaper, which has been around for nearly nine decades, is expanding its reach beyond Ohio while honoring its roots.
Originally established in 1937, the Buckeye Review has long served as a voice for Black communities. After purchasing the publication in 2024 from the McNair family, who had owned it for three decades, the sisters became the latest stewards of a legacy they had been connected to since childhood.
White first became involved with the Buckeye Review as a high school intern and continued contributing while attending Howard University. Inspired by her older sister, Terrell published her first byline in the newspaper at just 10 years old.
Years later, when the McNairs were ready to pass the torch, they approached the sisters about taking ownership.
"They entrusted us that we would still maintain a sense of integrity, preserve the history and carry forward the legacy," Terrell told the Black Information Network. "That was a huge honor."
Today, Terrell serves as editor-in-chief, leading the publication's editorial and content strategy, while White oversees its business and operations.
The sisters have worked to expand the Buckeye Review while maintaining its original mission of telling stories that might otherwise go overlooked.
"We are a voice for the voiceless," Terrell said. "To champion change, to advocate for the people within our community."
That includes everything from celebrating children's athletic and academic accomplishments to publishing personal essays and obituaries that preserve the lives of community members in the historical record.
"Their lives mattered and they should be documented as well," Terrell said. "Especially now that we're coming from an age where a lot of history is being erased."
Since taking ownership, the sisters have expanded the newspaper's footprint into 200 cities across 29 states and broadened its coverage beyond local news and politics to include lifestyle, entertainment, travel, HBCUs, opinion and stories from across the Black diaspora.
"It has that local connection, but it has that national reach," Terrell said. "Even though you'll say, 'Oh, this is local,' trust me. It's something in there for you."
The Buckeye Review currently publishes a monthly print edition and produces Beyond the Buckeye Review Headlines, a monthly segment on NBC affiliate WFMJ. The sisters are also revamping the publication's website and growing its digital and social presence.
But expanding a nearly 90-year-old publication in today's media landscape hasn't come without challenges.
"One of the biggest lessons my sister and I have learned over these past two years is just how much goes into sustaining a newspaper behind the scenes that people never see," Terrell said. "From the outside, people see the stories, the covers and the visibility, but they don't always realize the constant decision-making, problem-solving and pressure that comes with ownership."
The sisters have had to "recalibrate, rethink revenue opportunities, restrategize distribution and reevaluate" where they invest their resources, Terrell said.
"This work is rewarding, but it's definitely not easy," she added. "Owning and evolving a legacy publication in today's media landscape requires resilience, adaptability and the willingness to continuously figure things out in real time."
Their plans for the future extend beyond the newspaper itself.
The sisters have reestablished the Buckeye Review Journalism Institute, an educational arm aimed at children and adults that will cover journalism, public speaking, social media, AI and professional development.
It's another extension of the intergenerational approach they've brought to the publication. The sisters have even brought Terrell's niece on as a junior reporter, including taking her to interview Juneteenth activist Opal Lee.
As the Buckeye Review approaches its 90th anniversary, Terrell hopes the publication can become a household name while helping a new generation understand the importance of Black-owned media.
For her, continuing the Buckeye Review is also its own form of resistance.
"Everyone has their own idea of what protesting is," Terrell said. "I feel like this is our form of protest — purchasing our newspaper, carrying forward and preserving the history, the legacy and all of the different elements that make our community and our culture uniquely us."
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