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IN unique pictorial and prosaic forms, CLASS is the gold-standard for social events publishing for Africans in America. The flagship of American media, The New York Times of September 23, 2003, notes CLASS is the magazine for successful Africans in America.

The New York Times’ reporter Simon Romero wrote that Chido “Nwangwu recently created a magazine called Class for affluent Africans in the United States.”

To be sure, it’s not only for the affluent but the willing and deserving. It is actively supported by the display of thousands of unedited images on our very popular sister site www.PhotoWorks.TV

CLASS has its own unique personality hence the dominant mainstream took immediate notice. Yet, in a sense, CLASS is the Africans-in-America’s own Ebony and People and GQ – all rolled into one unique product: an ultra-glossy magazine of African style, music, living, fashion and our younger generation interests. I call the latter group ‘generation Class.’ They love those pages!

Among the reasons for which I established CLASS is for it to serve as the professional vehicle to showcase tasteful social elegance, chronicles of individual achievements, stylish teenagers, men and women, poetry, celebrations, spectacular community events, and cultural heritage pageants involving Africans and Americans. This ultra-glossy magazine captures the colorful tapestry and profiles of the new generation of Africans in the U.S.A., Canada, Caribbeans, and events in Africa. For example, our special feature of the recent beloved titan Nelson Mandela’s birthday which held inside South Africa.

We’ll capture the thrills and battles of life and success -and where necessary failings and setbacks. Our cameras and photogs will capture all the key celebrations – in ways and angles that are uniquely those of CLASS. You recall the statement that a picture tells a thousand stories. Sure; but we’ll do even better. We’ll rather say a good picture! Why? CLASS will continue to have a major share of pictorial coverage but it is not a photo-album. I love to paint word pictures, too. Word pictures and excellent photography will be on our pages like bees unto honey!

Shortly after The New York Times’ mention, a flood of calls from different regions of the U.S., and internationally followed. We got more subscription requests. Again, we thank all of you for your support and kind words of encouragement – coast-to-coast!

The New York Times went further to note that the major business which I also serve as Founder & Publisher, USAfrica, is America’s largest African-owned multimedia networks. It was established in 1992. We also publish the award-winning first-African owned newspaper on the Internet, USAfricaonline.com

We thank God for His infinite graces.

USAfricaCLASS magazine, aka CLASS, reflects the professional quests, stylistic expressions of men and women of African and African-American descent. CLASS will profile excellence, be the social barometer of elegance and style for our communities.

Class is class and will remain classy, among other things, because it is the professional standard, international platform and community network for accurately and with good taste, telling the stories of our people in all spheres of social and professional quests; from those who seek to be part of Hollywood to those who rose from throwing newspapers in New York’s suburbs, New Orleans’ inner city or west Houston to paying their way through school and achieving financial and academic success. Shall we say, therefore, you’re either in Class, or…

CLASS has already started to go where no other magazine has gone: bring together the social and style uniqueness of Africans and Americans on one professional platform. We go direct to the stars of Hollywood not just to publish their pictures but to get their views on current, social and heritage matters of interest and value to many of our readers. In the first edition of Class magazine’s Hollywood exclusive, we present my chat with NBA legend and business exec Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson (on page 40) of our May 2003 premiere edition. If any Black man embodies style with a lot of flair and savoire faire, Magic’s got it! He has a very humble and fraternal attitude, too. We enjoyed chatting about matters of corporate style, empowerment issues, his forays and successes as a businessman, how to network, managing your small business and what to wear to make the best impact in business. I was accompanied by my executive assistant Vivian Okeke and my bossom friend Awa ‘Papus’ Kalu.

CLASS captures the unfolding distinctions and dynamism of the new generation of Africans born abroad. CLASS will feature Africans in the U.S to record for posterity the rhythm and rhyme of events and trends across our communities and our two continents.

We believe the increasing social and artistic expressions of our folks should be captured and written with a professional flair and clarity. We’ve the biggest, most accomplished and seasoned network of professional reporters and editors serving Africans and Americans.

Above all, to God be the glory, and we pray for His continued blessings and guidance as we embark on this enterprise with very limited resources. On our part, we’ll do our very best, again – and set new standards. We started with 40 pages for our first edition on Friday May 9, 2003, and by our 4th edition we surpassed 100 pages, and made 114 pages of ultra-glossy color. It was a prayer answered. I’ve the honor to welcome you to CLASS. We count on your usual support and patronage.

CLASS magazine is published 6x a year, beginning January-February – plus special editions. CLASS has an average of 80 graphically compelling pages in full color, and printed on ultra-gloss paper. The pioneering, professional, award-winning publication has been described by the prestigious New York Times (on September 23, 2003), as the magazine for affluent Africans in America. The flagship of American journalism, Times, also cited CLASS as a part of USAfrica, which it assessed as the largest African-owned multimedia company in the United States of America.

USAfrica was founded and established since 1992 and CLASS in 2003 by Chido Nwangwu, recipient of the Journalism Excellence award (1997), founder of the first African-owned U.S.-based professional newspaper to be published on the internet, USAfricaonline.com, USAfrica The Newspaper, and The Black Business Journal.

He appears as an analyst on CNN International and CNN’s Inside Africa, VOA, NPR, CBS News, NBC and ABC news affiliates and served as a member of the editorial board of the Daily Times of Nigeria, news, production and programming Nigerian Television Authority and an analyst for CNN International and CNN’s Inside Africa. Chido Nwangwu, a technologist and oil and gas consultant, served as an adviser to the former Mayor of Houston (Lee Brown) on international business (Africa). He has covered and traveled with former U.S. president Bill Clinton to different parts of the African continent, and authored the special report he called Clinton’s Africa.

By Chido Nwangwu
(This mission statement has been updated, since the original version appeared in our first print edition in May 2003)