List of African American newspapers in Delaware facts for kids
This article explores the history of African American newspapers in Delaware. These newspapers were important because they shared news and stories for and about the Black community. They often covered topics that other newspapers did not.
The very first known African American newspaper in Delaware was Our National Progress. It was published from 1869 to 1875. This paper was so important that some people called it the only national Black paper between Washington, D.C., and New York City. Other well-known Delaware papers include The Advance (1899–1901). Also, the famous poet and journalist Alice Dunbar Nelson ran the Wilmington Advocate from 1920 to 1922.
Most of these newspapers were published in Wilmington. Wilmington is the largest city in Delaware. However, for a long time, not enough African American people lived in Wilmington to support even one newspaper. Because of this, sometimes there were no Black newspapers at all. During these times, news for the Black community was often shared in a special section of a white newspaper called the Sunday Morning Star.
Contents
Important African American Newspapers in Delaware
Many different African American newspapers have been published in Delaware over the years. They helped share news and ideas within the Black community. Here are some of the notable ones:
Newspapers from Dover
- Dover
- People's Beacon
- Started: 1945
- Type: Published sometimes (irregular)
- Notes: This paper was published by the Delaware People's League.
- People's Beacon
Newspapers from New Castle
- New Castle
- Delaware Observer
- Started: 1968
- Ended: Around 1988
- Type: Monthly newspaper
- North Star
- Started: 1981
- Type: Monthly
- Delaware Observer
Newspapers from Wilmington
- Wilmington
- The Advance
- Started: 1899
- Ended: 1901
- Type: Weekly newspaper
- Notes: You can find old copies of this paper online for free.
- Wilmington Advocate
- Started: 1920
- Ended: 1922
- Type: Weekly
- Notes: This paper was run by Alice Dunbar Nelson and her husband, Robert Nelson. Sadly, no copies of the paper are known to exist today, but some printing plates have been found.
- Arrow
- Started: 1958
- Ended: Around 1960
- Type: Monthly newspaper
- The Defender (with different names over time)
- Names: The Delaware Defender (1962–1965), The Defender (1965–1967), and The Delaware Valley Defender (1967–1980s)
- Started: 1962
- Ended: Around 1985
- Type: Weekly
- The Delaware Reporter
- Started: 1940
- Type: Weekly
- Notes: J. Alexis DuBois published this paper. It was called “Delaware’s only Negro newspaper” at the time.
- The Delaware Spectator
- Started: 1972
- Ended: 1976
- Type: Weekly
- Notes: About 10% of this newspaper was in Spanish.
- The Delaware Star (with different names over time)
- Names: The Delaware Star (1976–1978) and The Delaware Valley Star (1978–1984)
- Started: 1976
- Ended: 1984
- Type: Monthly at first, then biweekly, then weekly.
- Focus
- Started: 1930
- Type: Weekly
- Notes: This paper also called itself “Delaware’s only Negro newspaper.”
- Front Page
- Started: 1944
- Type: Weekly
- Wilmington Herald Times
- Started: 1941
- Type: Weekly
- Our National Progress
- Started: 1869
- Ended: Around 1875
- Type: Weekly
- Notes: C.M. Brown published this paper. William H. Day became the editor in 1870. Only one copy of this newspaper is known to still exist.
- The People’s Pulse
- Started: 1968
- Ended: 1970
- Type: Monthly
- Notes: This paper was published by two groups: the Peoples Settlement Association and United Neighbors for Progress Publications.
- The Sower: A Christian Newspaper
- Started: 1984
- Type: Monthly newspaper
- Notes: Ralph Morris published and edited this paper.
- Twilight
- Started: 1890s
- Type: Weekly
- The Advance
See also
