Pasadena Journal Founder Joe Hopkins Has Died

Pasadena Now has learned that Pasadena Journal Founder and former publisher Joe Hopkins has died.

At this time arrangements have not been finalized.

Hopkins moved to Pasadena in 1969, shortly before Pasadena became the first school district outside the South to desegregate its public schools as the result of a federal court order.

Joe co-owned and published the area’s only Black-owned and operated newspaper with his wife, Ruthie. The couple started the newspaper in 1989. 

The Journal was a stalwart not just in the Black community but in the entire City, and often addressed serious issues missing from the areas other print newspapers, including hiring practices, lack of diversity, and racism in city governments, city departments, and law enforcement.

In 2003, Hopkins’ book “I Will Not Apologize: Uncompromising Solutions to Black America’s Dilemma in the 21st Century” was published.

“We worked together a lot when I was at the PW,” Pasadena Now Managing Editor André Coleman said. “He would see something we wrote and have additional information or we would see something in the Journal we wanted to use. He was also gracious. He never played the competition game that the papers were playing back then. For Joe, it was about providing information and making sure Black people were being heard and treated fairly in Pasadena. In my opinion, the Journal is the last great print product to come out of the City. This is a huge loss.” 

In 2018, Joe and Ruthie Hopkins were recognized by the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) as the 41st Assembly District’s “2018 Unsung Heroes” as civil rights pioneers in the San Gabriel Valley. The couple was honored at the CLBC’s Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast in Sacramento. Assemblymember Chris Holden, Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, described the Hopkins as “pillars of the Black community in the San Gabriel Valley.”

Community leaders praised Hopkins when contacted by Pasadena Now on Wednesday.

“In 1969 my parents established Felix & Madlyn Bail Bonds,” said Ishmael Trone. “That is when I met Joe Hopkins. From the moment I met him, he always instilled in me that ‘owning your own business was better than having a job.’” 

Trone said throughout the years he would sit with Joe and his wife Ruthie and discuss Pasadena community challenges and progressions. 

“They became my mentors. I learned many lessons from Joe that guided me in business, which later led me to becoming the Executive Director of the Pasadena Black Business Association under his leadership. 

“Joe Hopkins believed that community voice is a vital component of healthy, thriving communities. He promoted transparency, inclusivity, and demanded accountability. His perspective through the Pasadena Journal helped build stronger social bonds, increased civic engagement, and ultimately improved the well-being of the black communities in Pasadena.” 

Lena Kennedy said Joe provided a much-needed voice for the Black community.

“Joe was a rock in the community and he provided a platform for the Black community to have a voice,” Kennedy told Pasadena Now. “We will miss him, and we love and respect. He worked with Sen. Portantino 13 years ago to establish training in historically Black Colleges and Universities so Black students could go through specialized upper management training. That legislation was put forth through the leadership of Joe Hopkins. He was always looking to create sustainability and opportunities for people who look like him. All the love to Ruthie and his family.”

Pasadena Now will have more information when it is released and will update this story with quotes from community leaders throughout the day.

The editorial staff of Pasadena Now offers its condolences to the Hopkins family and joins the city in mourning the tremendous loss of one of Pasadena’s great community leaders.