African American Studies

A component of Accessible Archives.
Access to Anatomy of Protest made possible by a grant from the Unidel Fund.

Part of the World Newspaper Archive, which can be found on the A-Z Databases page. 

This collection can also be searched on Readex AllSearch, an integrated platform that combines Readex’s primary sources into a single cross-searchable interface.

 Access to Black Life in America made possible by a grant from the Unidel Fund.

Titles included:

• The Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988)
  The most widely circulated black newspaper on the Atlantic coast. It was the first Black newspaper to have correspondents reporting on World War II, foreign correspondents, and female sports correspondents.
• Chicago Defender (1910-2010)
  A leading African-American newspaper, with more than two-thirds of its readership outside Chicago.
• Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2005)
  The oldest and largest Black newspaper in the western United States and the largest African American owned newspaper in the U.S.
• New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993)
  The leading Black newspaper of the 20th century reached its peak in the 1940s. The Amsterdam News was a strong advocate for the desegregation of the U.S. military during World War II, and also covered the historically important Harlem Renaissance.
• Norfolk Journal and Guide (1916-2003)
  As a southern black newspaper, the Norfolk Journal and Guide did not have the same freedoms as northern black newspapers and thus did not aggressively or openly denounce social and racial injustices. Because of its more moderate position the Guide was able to procure advertisements from nationally owned white businesses. It was also the only black newspaper that provided on-the-scene, day-to-day coverage of the Scottsboro trial in the 1930s.
• The Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2001)
  The oldest continuously published Black newspaper, is dedicated to the needs and concerns of the fourth largest black community in the U.S. During the 1930s the paper supported the growth of the United Way, rallied against the riots in Chester, PA, and continuously fought against segregation.
• Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2010)
  One of the most nationally circulated Black newspapers, the Pittsburgh Courier reached its peak in the 1930s. A conservative voice in the African-American community, the Pittsburgh Courier challenged the misrepresentation of African Americans in the national media and advocated social reforms to advance the cause of civil rights.

• Part I: Debates over Slavery & Abolition
• Part II: The Slave Trade in the Atlantic World
• Part III: The Institution of Slavery
• Part IV: The Age of Emancipation

This collection can also be searched on Gale Primary Sources, an integrated platform that combines Gale’s digital archives into a single cross-searchable interface.