A Legacy of Success

In February 2024, we lost Darryl Barrs, Sr., the visionary founder of Program Success Magazine. This publication was just a small part of the abundant legacy he left behind.

It all began in 1993. I was around seven years old when I first laid eyes on the future. I walked into my Dad’s office and saw him meticulously printing and gluing pieces of paper and photos onto a board. He would take every article, paragraph by paragraph, and carefully position them exactly how he wanted the newspaper to look.

He then took the board to a warehouse, where it was converted into plates, printed, and bundled together, ready to be delivered to churches throughout the state.

Back then, it was called The Christian Reader, the “Good News Newspaper” and covered black church and community affairs throughout Florida. Our entire family would load up a van and hit the road to ensure as many congregations as possible received each monthly issue.

In 2008, it transformed into the magazine you read today: Program Success. This magazine had a mission to document OUR legacies of success. Realizing that the ink that writes our history has not run dry, Black people are achieving extraordinary things today that are noteworthy and need to be documented and preserved. These accomplishments, for some reason, escape mainstream media but are captured on the pages of Program Success Magazine.

My father, your friend, dedicated his life to building the Black community, aspiring to excellence and achieving at higher levels. Although he is no longer with us, his goals will live on through this newsletter.

You will be missed. You will be remembered. You will forever be LOVED. Thank you for everything you have done for US.

-DJ Barrs

Editor - Program Success Insider