Louis Austin facts for kids

Louis Austin (1898-1971) was an African-American journalist, community leader, and activist. He bought The Carolina Times newspaper in 1927. He used the paper to help African Americans fight for freedom and equal rights in North Carolina.

Austin had a new way of dealing with civil rights issues in Durham. He included both everyday people and middle-class black citizens. This was different from the more careful approach of the wealthy black leaders in Durham at the time. Austin's plan was to give a voice to most black people. This helped bring together many African Americans in Durham to work for social change. His ideas helped prepare the way for the modern Civil Rights Movement in Durham in the late 1950s and 1960s. His strategies, once seen as too extreme, allowed Austin to stay important in Durham for many years. He made a lasting difference in the city.

Louis Austin's Early Life

Louis Austin was born in Enfield, North Carolina, a small town. He grew up when African Americans were denied basic rights, like the right to vote. His father, William, taught him to stand up for himself. As a young man, Austin was very angry about racial unfairness. He spoke out against these problems at his school. Because of this, his parents sent him to finish high school at the Joseph K. Brick School.

Austin then went to the National Training School (now North Carolina Central University) in Durham. After college, he worked for the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. This was a black-owned business in Durham.

The Power of Black Newspapers

Since Freedom's Journal started in 1827, black newspapers have been very important. They helped African Americans share their own stories and build a sense of community. These papers showed events from a black point of view. They also highlighted achievements that other newspapers ignored. Most importantly, they worked for black equality.

In the early 1900s, Booker T. Washington was a leading voice for black America. He shared his ideas about being careful and working with white society through black newspapers. He had a lot of power over these papers. Many black newspapers depended on his money. So, they often had to write articles that he liked.

Black Newspapers in Durham

By the 1920s, black America faced a choice. Should they go along with white society's views or challenge them? W. E. B. Du Bois strongly disagreed with the mainstream white viewpoint. Durham was a small example of this national debate. Wealthy black leaders in Durham supported Washington's careful approach. The newspaper published by the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company was clear about its choice. It wanted to avoid Du Bois's call for a strong challenge to white rule.

Louis Austin started working at The Carolina Times in 1921. It was then called The Standard Advertiser. From the start, he wanted to write articles that matched Du Bois's ideas. Austin bought The Times in 1927. He got help from a loan from Durham's black-owned Mechanics and Farmers Bank. During this time, black journalists like Austin were key in the fight for black equality. Austin worked as the editor for The Times until he passed away in 1971.

Austin's Fight for Civil Rights

The Carolina Times Newspaper

Louis Austin worked very hard to make The Carolina Times a tool for change. He used the paper to restart civil rights activism. African Americans in Durham and nearby areas read their weekly paper. It kept them informed about issues affecting their community. The paper's motto was "The Truth Unbridled." This meant Austin wanted to give North Carolina's African Americans the honest truth about current events.

Austin's direct approach earned him trust and strong support. This was true in Durham and across the state. During a time when Jim Crow laws ruled the South, and white supremacy was common, Austin knew he had to face problems directly. He gave a voice to the issues African Americans were facing. The Carolina Times was important because it created open discussions among black people.

Austin's New Strategy

Louis Austin worked for equal rights for all black people, no matter how rich or poor they were. He used a new, direct way to challenge unfair rules. Austin believed in the ideas of Du Bois and Frederick Douglass. Both of them supported protest as a way to fight for equal rights. He realized that direct challenge, not being overly polite, was needed to break white supremacy's hold in the South.

In the early 1900s, the civil rights movement in Durham was led by wealthy black people. These leaders were called the "Big Negroes." They wanted to keep peace between races in Durham. They did not want to start campaigns that would upset powerful white people. Challenging policies would cause trouble. It could also put their businesses at risk. So, they saw no benefit in actions that would disturb a system where they were comfortable.

The direction these wealthy black leaders took was based on their own money interests. This did not represent most black people in Durham. Many were jobless due to racial unfairness and could not get an education. Austin was very frustrated with these careful black leaders. He wanted to create a fair environment for all African Americans in Durham. Austin's bold articles in The Carolina Times showed the unfairness. This helped inspire the African American community to become active.

The Great Depression Years

In the 1930s, Austin showed his dedication to the black community in Durham. He worked for social and political change in many areas. He led campaigns to register voters. He pushed for public schools to be integrated (mixed). He asked for equal pay for black teachers and equal money for black schools. He spoke out against police brutality. He also demanded equal job chances for African Americans.

Education was very important to Austin. He saw it as key for black people to overcome racial unfairness. Austin worked tirelessly for equal education. Unlike other careful black leaders, he was not afraid to use legal action to make education fair.

Austin's first big step for equal education happened in 1933. He joined black lawyers Conrad Pearson and Cecil McCoy. They supported Thomas Hocutt in a lawsuit called Hocutt v. Wilson. This case challenged the University of North Carolina's decision to reject Hocutt because of his race. Careful black leaders tried to get Austin to drop the case. They wanted to keep good relations with white state leaders. But Austin was determined. He said, "If my actions will cause a race riot, you had better grease up your muskets for I am going back Monday to pursue this cause."

Austin and the lawyers lost in court. But the case was very important. It marked a turning point in the fight for equal rights. The old ways of the South would no longer go unchallenged by African Americans. Brave activists like Austin were ready to use the legal system. Hocutt v. Wilson set the stage for future legal actions. It was the first step in the NAACP's fight to end segregation in public education. This eventually led to the Brown v. Board of Education decision. The case also helped the NAACP get started in North Carolina.

Louis Austin believed that African Americans could gain more rights by working within the political system. He saw voting as a way for black people to share their concerns. If many black people voted, they could get better rights. In 1928, there were only fifty black registered voters in Durham. Austin always pushed for community action in politics. He worked to fight rules like literacy tests. White supremacists used these tests to stop black people from voting.

For example, in 1932, Austin led a "state-wide non-partisan political conference" in Durham. It aimed to get black people interested in voting. It also addressed the problems they faced when trying to vote. Austin realized that the Republican Party was no longer the "Black Man's Party." He believed that for African Americans, the way to gain influence in the South was through the Democratic Party.

In 1934, Austin and Frederick K. Watkins ran as Democrats. They were elected as justices of the peace in Durham. Newspapers across the country praised their win. It was seen as a turning point for African American involvement in politics. After Austin won, the local head of the Democratic party tried to get him to step down. But Austin insisted on serving. He set a new example for black people serving as justices of the peace in Durham. Austin's victory showed the success of African Americans' first steps in Durham politics.

Another key moment for black political influence happened in 1935. Austin joined with Shepard and Spaulding to form the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs (DCNA). The DCNA worked to improve African Americans' economic, social, and educational chances. It also helped black people in Durham get involved in politics. The DCNA was good at registering black people to vote. Black voter registration in Durham doubled in the year after it started. By 1939, there were three thousand black voters in the city.

World War II Era (1940s)

The Double V Strategy

When the United States entered World War II, Austin used the chance to start the Double V campaign. Austin and other black newspapers pushed this idea. It meant black people fought for victory abroad against the enemy. At the same time, they fought for victory at home against white supremacy. The campaign showed how unfair it was that America fought for "democracy" abroad. Yet, it attacked Nazi ideas while allowing racial oppression at home.

Louis Austin was a main supporter of the Double V strategy in North Carolina. He demanded an end to racial segregation. For example, Austin pointed out that Americans criticized Japanese soldiers for harming Americans. But they saw nothing wrong with lynching African Americans. From the start of World War II, Austin strongly criticized the government. He attacked all forms of discrimination. He pushed for equal access for black people in all parts of the armed forces. He also criticized black leaders who did not speak out against segregation in the military.

The American government worried about losing support for the war at home. It started to criticize black activists and newspapers. It tried to stop the Double-V campaign. Because of government pressure, many black newspapers became less critical. But Austin stayed strong in his support for the Double-V campaign. Austin's daughter said an FBI agent once came to The Carolina Times office. Austin ignored his concerns, and the FBI never returned. Even when facing challenges from the government, Austin stayed dedicated to his cause. Timothy B. Tyson called Austin "the most prominent 'racial agitator'" during World War II.

Race riots in 1943, which happened in over forty cities including Durham, also made some activists want to be less critical. However, Austin remained committed to the Double V strategy. He used the riots to show the harm segregation was causing. In June 1943, Austin said that "the law of segregation" was the main cause of racial conflict. He believed the riot in Durham showed the need for Durham to hire black police. While Austin used the riots to show needed changes, he also publicly criticized black people who took part in the riots. He urged black people to use peaceful ways to end segregation. Austin taught other African Americans the importance of nonviolent methods. He suggested writing letters to mayors, governors, and the president. Austin's Double-V campaign "spurred a growing militant movement that would bear more fruit after the war."

After World War II

After World War II, Austin kept fighting the issues African Americans faced. He started to see some results. For example, in 1953, businessman R.N. Harris was elected to the Durham City Council. Harris was the first African American to serve on the city council. The Carolina Times wrote that "History was made in Durham…as the first Negro councilman in the city's 100 year-old history was sworn in." By the mid-1950s, the DCNA was seen as "the South's most effective black political machine." Also, after more than twenty years of campaigning for desegregation in schools, the Brown v. Board of Education decision made Austin's dream a reality.

Modern Civil Rights Era

Unlike older, careful black activists, Austin stayed at the front of the movement for justice. He was active during the modern Civil Rights Movement. Austin knew it was important to work with the younger generation of activists. They would lead the new movement. In the 1950s, when the NAACP wanted more members, The Carolina Times helped get people to join. In the 1950s and 1960s, Austin joined new activists. They supported desegregating schools, lunch counters, and restaurants. They also fought for equal job chances and voting rights.

As new activists joined, differences grew between careful and more active members in Durham. Young, more radical members wanted to push the segregation issue faster. Austin knew about the gap between young activists and the older, wealthy black leaders. He saw that the DCNA needed to change its approach. The Carolina Times watched over the DCNA. It informed the public about what Austin saw as the DCNA's "laziness" in improving black rights. In June 1957, Austin wrote a strong article about the group:

[T]his newspaper senses a stagnation that is beginning to creep over the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs which, if allowed to continue, is certain to spell its doom…. [The DCNA] is becoming too high-brow, too soft and too compromise…. There comes a time in the life of an organization when it needs new blood, new faces and some new ideas. There comes a time when those who have been in control too long become satisfied to rest on their oars and boast of their past achievements…The struggle for freedom for all must go on. It must not be sacrificed on the altar of greed and power merely to obtain a few crumbs for the few. What we do now will determine the destiny of thousands who come after us. God forbid that we falter or recoil from performing our solemn duty.

Austin was calling on African Americans to join a new, stronger fight. Osha Gray Davidson said Austin's article was very important. He compared Austin to Thomas Paine during the American Revolution. The Royal Ice Cream sit-in happened in Durham a week after Austin's article. It was the young activists' answer to Austin's call for direct action. Austin, along with Douglas E. Moore and Floyd McKissick, kept pushing the DCNA for stronger actions.

Against Black Nationalist Groups

Austin encouraged many people to join the new generation of activists. But he spoke out against black nationalist groups that appeared in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He thought their unlawful methods were wrong. Austin said that The Carolina Times would not support any group that used violence to solve problems. Instead, Austin believed African Americans should work within the legal system to make changes. He had seen society change a lot in his lifetime. Austin believed, "The pen is mightier than the sword." He always used The Carolina Times to express his anger about unfairness, instead of using violence.

Austin supported new movements based on nonviolence, like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference led by Martin Luther King Jr.. Austin was a leader for these big movements. They shared beliefs that he had been promoting since the 1920s.

The Movement's Success

In the 1960s, Austin saw the results of his hard work. A big event was when Thurgood Marshall became the first African American on the United States Supreme Court. Austin had always stressed the importance of black people being involved in politics. Marshall's appointment showed that black people could gain power in the political system. The Carolina Times reported this historic event. The paper continued to share important milestones for the African American community.

Louis Austin's Impact

Austin kept fighting for civil rights until he died on June 12, 1971. He lived to see his life's work come to fruition. He fought against white supremacy, Jim Crow laws, racism, lynching, police brutality, job discrimination, housing discrimination, and school segregation. Durham historian Jean Anderson called Austin "an indefatigable crusader for justice and civil rights." She said he was part of a new group of black people who bowed to no one. He made his paper a strong fighter for all black causes. After Austin died, a newspaper in Virginia said he left "to Durham a rich heritage of unselfish service and a better community than it would have been otherwise." This shows Austin's impact was known across the South and the United States.

Austin influenced Durham through his actions. His work continues to make a difference today. Austin taught younger activists what it meant to be a strong leader. These leaders kept the movement alive. He taught them the importance of political involvement to make changes. Austin was an example for future black leaders. He showed them the importance of challenging unfair practices, even when others were afraid. For example, Howard Fuller, who later led Operation Breakthrough, was mentored by Austin. Austin taught Fuller to challenge the wealthy black community and the white power structure with the same strong spirit. In his last days, Austin told Fuller, "they're going to get mad at you, but you've got to keep…doing…these things."

During his 44 years as editor, Louis Austin made The Carolina Times a place where black people could share their concerns and be heard. His grandson, Kenneth Edmonds, continues Austin's vision in Durham today. The Carolina Times' motto, "The Truth Unbridled," lives on. It is still Durham's only black-owned and operated newspaper. Edmonds says The Carolina Times aims to help the black community move forward. He continues the fight for "equality, civil rights, and the political rights of African Americans." Also, by encouraging African Americans to register to vote, Austin created a black political movement in Durham that is still growing.

Posthumous Recognition

Austin was honored at the Durham 150 Closing Ceremony on November 2, 2019. He was recognized as a Main Honoree by the Sesquicentennial Honors Commission. This honor was given to 29 people "whose dedication, accomplishments and passion have helped shape Durham in important ways."