James Blount: Funeral service information for publisher of innovative Black magazine

Robert Bell and Bill Wolcott, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·2 min read

A celebration of life and legacy has been set for James Blount, co-publisher of the long-running magazine for Rochester's Black community. He died last week at the age of 80.

Together with his wife, Carolyne, Blount worked tirelessly to create a space for authentic conversations about Black life with "about...time Magazine."

  • A Celebration of Life and Legacy services for Blount will be held Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, 141 Adams St., Rochester, New York 14608.

  • Viewing will be from 10am to noon with funeral services starting immediately after. Arrangements provided by Millard E. Latimer and Son Funeral Directors Inc.

  • A second homegoing service will be held on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Smithfield, Virginia, where Blount was born.

Carolyne and James "Jim" Blount in 2007. The Blounts have been stewards and leaders of about...time magazine, which has highlighted stories for and about Rochester's Black community.
Carolyne and James "Jim" Blount in 2007. The Blounts have been stewards and leaders of about...time magazine, which has highlighted stories for and about Rochester's Black community.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Blount, please visit the flower store for the Shiver Funeral Chapel in Smithfield, Virginia.

Blount talked to a Democrat and Chronicle reporter earlier this year about his magazine and other pioneering Black publications in Rochester.

“We talked about the issues at hand. We highlighted people (who) were making a positive contribution to this community,” Blount said.

His legacy as a champion of journalism began after he and his wife moved to Rochester in 1970 for his job at IBM.

Together, they took over "about…time" in 1972. The magazine had only been around two years and had printed two editions.

Under the Blounts' stewardship, about...time celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Blount told the Democrat and Chronicle that they pushed through the initial skepticism of advertisers who were reluctant to invest.

“We kept saying and kept telling people that Blacks in this country spend a lot of money on the consumption of goods and services,” Blount said during his interview earlier this year. “People now are beginning to realize — look what the companies are doing with advertisements."

At present, "about...time" still publishes quarterly in print and online.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: James Blount obit, funeral service date, time, location Rochester