Jackson Advocate

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An African-American weekly newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi founded in 1938 by Percy Greene. Mr. Greene was a veteran of World War I and was a Civil Rights leader in the 1940's and 1950's. Greene was determined to make a contribution to the struggle of African-American people in the South during a time when they were severely oppressed by legal segregation and Jim Crow. In 1940 Greene and thirty other publishers formed a consortium of African American newspapers to bring relevant information to Black readers in the USA. That association led to the Negro Newspaper Publishers Association, which promoted coverage of injustices against and accomplishments by African-Americans [1]. In 1978, Charles Tisdale became the owner and publisher of the Jackson Advocate, positions which he still holds today.

The paper has received numerous awards and citations in its 68 years of service in reporting news and events in the African-American community, including the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus Award for Excellence, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Journalism Award, and the National Black Chamber of Commerce Newspaper of the Year. In 1988 the magazine Newsday referred to the Advocate as a “national treasure”[2].