African-American newspapers
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 African-American circles.
History
Origins
Most of these publications like Freedom's Journal's (1758–1799) were published in the north and then distributed, often covertly, to African Americans throughout the country. Blacks' ability to establish many environments and black neighborhoods in the North led to the first wave of publications. By the 20th century, daily papers appeared in Norfolk, Kansas City, and Washington D.C.
19th century
In the late 19th century the main reason that the papers were created was for uplifiting the black community. Many blacks sought to assimilate into larger society, and Northern blacks felt it their duty to educate southern blacks on the mores of Victorian society. Many African-American newspapers struggled to keep their circulation going due to the low rate of literate African Americans. Many Freed Africans had low incomes and could not afford to purchase subscriptions, but shared the publications with one another.[1]
Modern day
There were many black publications, such as those of Marcus Garvey and John H. Johnson. These men broke a wall that let black people in the society, not only as criminals, but as successful human beings. The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder is Minnesota's oldest Black newspaper and the United States oldest ongoing minority publication second only to The Jewish World.
The future of African-American newspapers
Many Black newspapers that began publishing in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s went out of business because they could not attract enough advertising and economic decline. As of 2002, 2000 Black newspapers remained. As of 2010, there has been a resurgence of online African-American news organizations, most notably Black News, The Grio, and Black Voices. With the decline of print media and proliferation of internet access, more and more black news websites are popping up every day.
List of African-American newspapers in the United States
- The American Baptist - Louisville, Kentucky (owned by the General Association of Baptists in Kentucky)
- The Arizona Informant - Phoenix, Arizona
- African-American News and Issues – Houston, Texas
- Atlanta Daily World - nation's first black-owned daily in the 20th century[2]
- Aliened American
- The Anti-Slavery Bugle - New Lisbon, Ohio
- Baltimore Afro-American - Baltimore, Maryland
- Bay State Banner (web site) - Boston, Massachusetts
- Big Red News (defunct) - Brooklyn, New York
- Black Chronicle - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Black News (web site) – Columbia, South Carolina (Black Media News Group)
- Boston Guardian (defunct) - Boston, Massachusetts
- Buffalo Challenger (defunct) - Buffalo, New York
- The Buffalo Criterion (web site) - Buffalo, New York
- California Eagle (defunct) - Los Angeles, California
- Call and Post - Cleveland, Ohio
- Carolina Peacemaker (web site) - Greensboro, North Carolina
- The Carolina Times - Durham, North Carolina
- The Carolinian (web site) - Raleigh, North Carolina
- Charlotte Post (web site) - Charlotte, North Carolina
- Chattanooga Courier
- Chicago Crusader (web site) - Chicago, Illinois
- Chicago Defender – Chicago
- The Christian Recorder
- The City SunPress
- The Cleveland Gazette
- The Colored American
- The Columbus Times Newspaper
- The Courant
- The Denver Weekly News
- Dallas Express
- Daily News King (web site) - Atlanta, Georgia
- Douglas Monthly
- The Final Call
- The Florida Star
- Freedom's Journal
- Frost Illustrated (web site) - Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Gary Crusader (web site) - Gary, Indiana
- Harambee News
- INK Newspaper (defunct)
- Indianapolis Freeman (defunct)
- Indianapolis Recorder
- Jackson Advocate
- Kansas City Call – Kansas City, Missouri
- Kansas State Ledger
- Knoxville Enlightener
- Las Vegas Sentinel-Voice
- Los Angeles Sentinel
- Louisville Defender – Louisville, Kentucky
- Memphis Tri-State Defender – Memphis, Tennessee
- Michigan Chronicle
- Milwaukee Community Journal – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
- Morningside Park Chronicle (web site) - Inglewood, California
- Murfreesboro Vision
- Muncie Times, free full-text access, 1991-2010
- Muslim Journal
- New York Amsterdam News
- The Nashville Pride
- The National Era - The District of Columbia
- New Journal and Guide
- The New Orleans Tribune - La Tribune de la Nouvelle-Orleans
- New York Beacon
- New York Carib News (web site) - New York, New York
- North Star (newspaper)
- Nos Jornal (newspaper)
- The Oakland Post (California)
- Omaha Star
- Our Weekly
- Pennsylvania Freeman
- Philadelphia Tribune – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia Observer – Philadelphia
- Pine and Palm - Boston, Massachusetts
- Pittsburgh Courier – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Richmond Free Press
- The Richmond Voice Newspaper
- Roanoke Tribune (web site) - Roanoke, Virginia
- San Francisco Bay View
- Savannah Tribune – Savannah, Georgia
- Seattle Medium – Seattle, Washington
- St. Louis Argus - St. Louis, Missouri
- St. Louis Sentinel – St. Louis, Missouri
- The Florida Sentinel Bulletin (web site) - Tampa, Florida
- The Miami Times (web site) - Miami, Florida
- The Pensacola Voice (web site) - Pensacola, Florida
- The Westside Gazette (web site) - Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- The Facts – Seattle
- The Liberator
- The Louisiana Weekly
- The Washington Informer
- The Washington Afro American
- The Washington Sun
- Weekly Advocate - New York, New York
- The New York Voice (Weekly)
- The Sacramento Observer – Sacramento, California
- The Washington Bee - Washington D.C.
- Woman's Era (the first newspaper published by and for African-American women)
List of African-American online news organizations in the United States
- The Root - The Root Website
- Black News - Redding News Review
- SC Black News Group - South Carolina Black News Website
- Black News - Black News Website
- The Grio - The Grio Website
- The MP Chronicle - The Morningside Park Chronicle Website
- The Network Journal - The Network Journal Website
- Black Voices - Black Voices Website
- Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder - Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Website
- Daily King News - news Website
- The St. Louis Metro Evening Whirl - The Whirl Online
See also
- List of newspapers in the United States
- African American history
References
- ↑ Rhodes, Jane (1998). Mary Ann Shadd Carry: The Black Press and Protest in the Nineteenth Century. Bloomington, In: Indiana University Press. pp. 120–123. ISBN 0-253-21350-9.
- ↑ Business, Family (2012-01-12). ""Recap: Alexis Scott Shares Atlanta Daily World History on Family Business Radio", Family Business Radio, January 12, 2012". Familybusinessradio.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
External links
- Newspaper
- Cool Pape
- Aasguide
- African American Newspapers: The 19th Century (full-text index of 17 titles)
- African-American Newspapers 1829 to present.
- Black Press USA: List of Local NewsPapers
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