Negro Journalism: An Essay on the History and Present Conditions of the Negro Press — John Shaqi
Negro Journalism: An Essay on the History and Present Conditions of the Negro PressGore, George William
History
Negro Journalism: An Essay on the History and Present Conditions of the Negro Press
Gore, George William
African American press; Journalism
The magazine field has not been entered as rapidly or as fully by the
Negro journalist as the newspaper field. The first Negro magazine,
nevertheless, early followed the beginning made by the first Negro
newspaper. In 1837, the first magazine—_The Mirror of Liberty_—was
published by David Ruggles. It was devoted to the advancement of the free
Negroes in the North, and was issued quarterly from New York City.
[Sidenote: ANGLO-AFRICAN MAGAZINE]
The next serious attempt to publish a Negro magazine was in 1856, when
Thomas Hamilton, of New York City, issued _The Anglo-African Magazine_,
which was the outgrowth of his newspaper, The Anglo-African. It was
devoted to literature, science, statistics and contained articles on the
abolition of slavery. It existed for about four years.
[Sidenote: A. M. E. REVIEW OLDEST MAGAZINE]
The oldest Negro magazine, like the oldest newspaper, was established
by the A. M. E. Church. In 1884, that denomination began the publishing
of _The A. M. E. Review_ in Baltimore, Md. Today it still exists and is
published in Philadelphia, Pa.
[Sidenote: OUR WOMEN AND CHILDREN]
Another noteworthy periodical is _Our Women and Children_, first
published in 1888, by Dr. William J. Simmons. It was unique in that it
practically confined itself to the feminine world. Its contributors were
chiefly women and the articles which appeared on its pages concerned
themselves primarily with questions which affected home-life.
[Sidenote: OVER 100 MAGAZINES IN EXISTENCE]
Many other Negro magazines have been attempted; many of more or less
note, but of the magazines established prior to 1900, scarcely a one,
if any, are in existence today. Of the leading present day magazines,
none can boast of as long a period of publication as the present day
newspapers. At present about one hundred magazines are being published by
Negroes. However, this number includes school periodicals, church organs
and fraternal organs, and only a small fraction of the total number are
purely literary or secular publications.
[Sidenote: THE CRISIS EDITED BY DR. DUBOIS]
Among the foremost Negro magazines of general literature is _The Crisis_,
published at New York City, under the editorship of Dr. W. E. B. DuBois,
perhaps the leading literary figure among the race today. While the
publication is the official organ of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, it contains short stories, essays,
sketches and poetry of a high literary quality.
[Sidenote: SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NUMBER]
A special feature of _The Crisis_ is the emphasis it places on higher
education. Each July it publishes an educational number containing the
photographs of Negro college graduates from white Northern institutions
during the past school year. The issue also contains a resume of the
educational progress of the year.
[Sidenote: THE MESSENGER, A JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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