History of Journalism: 1930–1995

Minority Papers

The Depression was an especially difficult period for publishers of America's foreign-language press, as well as for newspapers devoted to concerns of African Americans and other minorities whose concerns were largely neglected by mainstream papers. The need for foreign-language newspapers declined as their readers were absorbed into American life and restrictive policies arrested the flow of immigration. By 1960, the number of foreign-language periodicals published in America had dropped to half those of 1914.

African American newspapers provided their readers with indispensable news and editorial commentary. One of the most widely distributed, the Pittsburgh Courier (1911–2002), reached its peak in the 1930s. A conservative voice, the Courier challenged misrepresentation of blacks in national media and advocated social reforms to advance the cause of civil rights. In the 1940s, the New York Amsterdam News (1922–93) reached the height of its influence. During World War II, its writers strongly advocated for desegregation of American military forces. In addition, its writers also covered the historically important Harlem Renaissance. The Los Angeles Sentinel (1934–2005) became the largest African American–owned paper in the west and eventually in the country. The Chicago Defender (1909–75) was another important black newspaper, with more than two-thirds of its readership outside Chicago.

Many smaller African American newspapers also published, although economic circumstances made their tenuous situations even more difficult. In Kansas, for example, more than 80 African American newspapers have appeared since the first one in 1876. Some lasted but a single issue. Among those whose publishers were more successful were the People's Elevator (1937–40), in Kansas City; the Kansas Whip (1934–55), in Topeka; and The Negro Star (1922–52), in Wichita.

...