African American newspapers, also known as the Black press, are news publications in the United States serving African American communities. These newspapers have long stood as pillars of resilience, advocacy, and cultural identity in American media.
The clear intention laid out in this founding document spoke to the need for Black press and set the tone for the role Black media still play in our communities and Black society at large.
Nearly 200 years later, Black media have continued to advocate for justice and for the Black community to vote in order to counteract the challenges Black communities have faced related to voting access, the pandemic and systemic racism. Black media play this role in an incomparable way.
Black media were important in 1827, and they are just as critical today.
Here is a list of African American newspapers and media outlets, which is sortable by publication name, city, state, founding date, and extant vs. defunct status. For more detail on a given newspaper, see the linked entries below.
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Historical Context
Samuel Cornish and John Brown Russwurm started the first African American periodical, Freedom's Journal, in 1827. In that inaugural four-page broadsheet, Samuel Cornish and John Russwurm, the editors and proprietors noted, “The peculiarities of this Journal, render it important that we should advertise to the world the motives by which we are actuated, and the objects which we contemplate. We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us.
Most of the early African American publications, such as Freedom's Journal, were published in the North and then distributed, often covertly, to African Americans throughout the country. The newspaper often covered regional, national, and international news.
In the 1860s, the newspapers The Elevator and the Pacific Appeal emerged in California as a result of black participation in the Gold Rush. The American Freedman was a New York-based paper that served as an outlet to inspire African Americans to use the Reconstruction era as a time for social and political advancement.
In 1879, John J. Neimore founded The California Owl, later renamed The California Eagle. In 1894, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin founded The Woman's Era, the first nationally distributed newspaper published by and for African American women in the United States.
The Woman's Era began as the official publication of the National Association of Colored Women, and grew in import and impact with the founding of the National Federation of Afro American Women in 1895.
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Many African American newspapers struggled to keep their circulation going due to the low rate of literacy among African Americans. African American newspapers flourished in the major cities, with publishers playing a major role in politics and business affairs.
By the 20th century, daily papers appeared in Norfolk, Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Representative leaders included Robert Sengstacke Abbott (1870-1940) and John H. Sengstacke (1912-1997), publishers of the Chicago Defender; John Mitchell Jr. (1863-1929), editor of the Richmond Planet and president of the National Afro-American Press Association; Anthony Overton (1865-1946), publisher of the Chicago Bee; Garth C. Reeves Sr.
From 1881 to 1909, the National Colored Press Association (American Press Association) operated as a trade association.
During the 1930s and 1940s, the Black southern press both aided and, to an extent, hindered the equal payment movement of Black teachers in the southern United States. Newspaper coverage of the movement served to publicize the cause. However, the way in which the movement was portrayed, and those whose struggles were highlighted in the press, displaced Black women to the background of a movement they spearheaded.
There were many specialized black publications, such as those of Marcus Garvey and John H. Johnson. These men broke a wall that let black people into society.
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The Roanoke Tribune was founded in 1939 by Fleming Alexander, and recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. Many Black newspapers that began publishing in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s went out of business because they could not attract enough advertising. As of 2002, about 200 Black newspapers remained.
African American Newspapers, Series 2, 1835-1956 complements and expands on African American Newspapers, Series 1. Published in 22 states and the District of Columbia, titles include Frederick Douglass’s New National Era (Washington, DC), Washington Tribune (Washington, DC), Chicago Bee (Chicago, IL), The Louisianian (New Orleans, LA), The Pine and Palm (Boston, MA), National Anti-Slavery Standard (New York, NY), New York Age (New York, NY), Harlem Liberator (New York, NY), North Carolina Republican and Civil Rights Advocate (Weldon, NC), Southern News (Richmond, VA) and more.
Newspaper Microfilm 932, Misc. Negro Newspapers, reel 10, nos. Jun. 18 - Dec. Jan. 7 - Feb. Sep. 2, 9, Dec. Jan. 1, 1892 - Sep. Sep. 2, 1891 - Sep. Dec. Feb. 2, 8, May 27, Jun. Jul. 2, 9, Aug. Jan. 31 - Apr. Nov. 11, 1897 - Aug. Dec. Feb. 2, 1899 - Apr. Feb. 26, Mar. Aug. 27, 1898 - Aug. Feb. 26, 1898 - Aug. Newspaper Microfilm 932, Misc. Negro Newspapers, reel 9, no. Aug. 17 - Oct. 26, Nov. Dec. May 13 - Dec. Jan. 13 - Jul. Aug. 12 - Nov. May 13, 1886 - Dec. Newspaper Microfilm 932, Misc. Negro Newspapers, reel 9, no. Jan. 11 - Jul. Feb. 23 - Dec. Jul. 26, 1889 - Dec. Jan. 5, 1894 - Dec. Jan. 27, 1905 - Aug. Jan. 11 - Jul. Feb. 23, 1888 - Dec. Jan. 27, 1905 - Aug. Newspaper Microfilm 932, Misc. Negro Newspapers, reel 10, no. Sep. 15, 1893 - Feb. Mar. Apr. 11, 25 - Aug. Jun. 17, 1897 - Nov. Feb. Jun. 15 - Nov. Newspaper Microfilm 932, Misc. Negro Newspapers, reel 9, no. Feb. 13 - Apr. 30, May 14-28, Jun. Jan. 30 - Jun. Nov. Dec. Oct. 27 - Dec. Mar. 13, 1953 - Sep. *Published in Wichita, KS, but published in Topeka, KS on Dec. Newspaper Microfilm 932, Misc. Negro Newspapers, reel 8, no. 6 and reel 10, no. May 24-31, 1894 (reel 8, no. Jun. 14 - Sep. (reel 8, no. Dec. 11, 1896 (reel 10, no. May 24 - Sep. Dec. *Title change to the Topeka Plaindealer after Mar. Apr. 27, 1894 - May 27, 1905; Oct. Jan. 27, Jun. Oct. 18, 1895 - Jun. Sep. 4 - Dec. Jan. 9 - Apr. Jun. 18 - Jul. Jul. 16 - 30, Aug. Sep. Sep. 4, 1891 - Sep. Jun. 28, Jul. 28 - Dec. Jan. 31, Feb. Apr. 3 - Dec. Jan. 1 - 15, Feb. Mar. Jun. 28, 1891 - Dec. Jan. 1 - Mar. *Published as the Plaindealer until Mar. *Published as this title from Jun. 24, 1880 - Sep. *Published as this title from Sep. *Published as this title from May 9 - Jul. Apr. 2 - Sep. 9, Nov. Dec. Mar. 6, 31, 1894 - Sep. Jun. 25, Jul. 9, 23, Aug. Sep. 17, Oct. Jun. 28, 1891 - Oct.
The St. Call and Post is a weekly newspaper published in Cleveland, Ohio. Black Chronicle is an African American community newspaper based in Oklahoma City. Washington Informer is a weekly newspaper serving Washington, D.C.
From the early 20th century, publications like the Chicago Defender played a pivotal role in challenging racial segregation, promoting civil rights, and amplifying voices often ignored by mainstream outlets. The New York Amsterdam News became a powerful voice for Harlem and beyond, chronicling the political, social, and artistic achievements of the Black community.
In the digital age, these newspapers have evolved to reach broader audiences through online platforms, continuing their mission of advocacy and awareness. They preserve heritage, foster community pride, and drive progress by spotlighting the triumphs and challenges of African Americans.
This role of the Black press was both needed and visible over the past 18 months when the convergence of the worst pandemic in US history and state violence both were disproportionately impacting Black Americans. In the past 18 months, Black media uniquely focused on children, schools and students across topic areas. The Journal also noted, “The civil rights of a people being of the greatest value, it shall ever be our duty to vindicate our brethren, when oppressed, and to lay the case before the publick.
Black media cover Africa and other countries of the African diaspora more than mainstream media. Finally, Black media center the humanity of people who are often dehumanized by society and not given that by mainstream media. Black media accurately call people killed by police brutality victims, sons and daughters. That thread of empathy and recognition of everyone’s humanity and dignity was first stitched in the Freedom’s Journal.
It noted, “And while these important subjects shall occupy the columns of the Freedom’s Journal, we would not be unmindful of our brethren who are still in the iron fetters of bondage.
A map showing the distribution of Black newspapers across the United States.
List of African American Media Outlets
Here is a sortable list of African American newspapers and media outlets, including their publication name, city, state, founding date, and status (extant vs. defunct).
| Publication Name | City | State | Founding Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statesman, The | Washington, D. C. | DC | Unknown | Defunct |
| Black Chronicle | Oklahoma City | OK | Unknown | Extant |
| St. Call and Post | Cleveland | OH | Unknown | Extant |
| Washington Informer | Washington, D.C. | DC | Unknown | Extant |
This list includes:
- The AC Phoenix News (Winston-Salem NC)
- The Advance
- African Expositor
- Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.)
- The Afro-American Citizen
- Afro-American Courier
- Wilmington Daily Record and the Wilmington Journal
- The Daily Record (Wilmington, N.C.)
- The Appeal
- The Arizona Gleam
- Arizona Sun
- Arizona Tribune
- Atlanta Daily World
- The Banner-Enterprise
- The Bee
- The Broad Ax
- 92d Buffalo
- The Buffalo: 92nd Infantry Division's Weekly Newspaper during World War II
- The Bystander
- Charlotta Bass / California Eagle Photograph Collection, 1870-1960
- Cayton's Monthly
- Cayton's Weekly
- The Century Voice
- The Charleston Advocate
- The Chicago Whip
- Chicago World
- The Christian Banner
- The Colored Citizen
- The Community Citizen
- The Concordia Eagle
- Connecticut Chronicle
- The Daily Express
- Daily National Era
- The Dayton Forum
- The Delta Leader
- The Denver Star
- Detroit Tribune
- The Detroit Tribune
- The Echo
- The Forum
- Franklin's Paper the Denver Star
- Franklin's Paper the Statesman
- The Free Citizen
- The Free Press
- The Future Outlook
- The Future Outlook (Greensboro, N.C.)
- The Gazette
- The Georgetown Planet
- The Golden Rule
- Hartford Chronicle
- Hartford-Springfield Chronicle
- The Illinois Times
- Iowa State Bystander
- The Journal of Industry
- The Kansas City Sun
- The Langston City Herald
- The Lexington Standard
- The Louisianian
- Maryville Republican
- The McDowell Times
- Metropolis Weekly Gazette
- Metropolitan News
- Missionary Record
- The Montana Plaindealer
- The Muskogee Cimeter
- The Nashville Globe
- The National Era
- The National Forum
- National Savings Bank
- The New Age
- New England Bulletin
- New Era
- New National Era
- North Carolina Gazette
- North Carolina Republican
- The Northwestern Bulletin
- The Northwestern Bulletin-Appeal
- The Ohio Daily-Express
- Ohio State News Collection 1944-1952
- The Peoples' Advocate
- The People's Recorder
- The Phoenix Index
- Phoenix Tribune
- Pioneer Press
- The Professional World
- The Republican
- The Rising son
- The Robbins Eagle
- The Rock Hill Messenger
- The Seattle Republican
- Sedalia weekly Conservator
- Semi-weekly Louisianian
- Soigne'+Swank Magazine
- South Carolina Leader
- The Southern Advocate
- The Southern Indicator
- The Southern News
- The Southland Advocate
- The St. Paul Echo
- The Topeka Plaindealer
- The Traveler Weekly, Peoria, Illinois
- The Tribune Independent of Michigan
- The Tribune
- The Tulsa Star
- The Twin City Star
- Vanguard News
- Voice of the People
- The Washington Bee
- The Wilmington Journal
- Activist Shaun King On Why He's Reviving Frederick Douglass' 'North Star' Paper
In that inaugural four-page broadsheet, Samuel Cornish and John Russwurm, the editors and proprietors noted, “The peculiarities of this Journal, render it important that we should advertise to the world the motives by which we are actuated, and the objects which we contemplate. We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us.
