African American newspapers

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African American newspapers are those newspapers in the United States that seek readers primarily of African American descent. These newspapers came into existence in 1827 when Samuel Cornish and John Brown Russwurm started the first African-American periodical called Freedom's Journal. During the antebellum South, other African American newspapers sprang forth, such as The North Star founded by Frederick Douglass. As African Americans moved to urban centers around the country, virtually every large city with a significant African American population soon had newspapers directed towards African Americans. Today, these newspapers have gained audiences outside of African American circles.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Origins

There were a number of black newspapers produced prior to 1865. Most of these publications like Freedom's Journal (1827-1829) were published in the north and then distributed, often covertly, to African Americans throughout the country. Blacks' ability to establish cultural environments and black neighborhoods in the North led to the first wave of publications. By the 1900s, daily papers appeared in Norfolk, Kansas City, and Washington D.C.

[edit] 1900s

[edit] Modern day

[edit] The future of African American newspapers

Many Black newspapers that began publishing in the 60's, 70's, and 80's went out of business because they could not attract enough advertising and economic decline. As of 2002, 200 Black newspapers remained.

[edit] List of African American newspapers in the United States

[edit] See also

[edit] External references

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