Omaha Guide facts for kids
The Omaha Guide was an important African American newspaper published in Omaha, Nebraska. It was printed from 1927 until 1958. Herman J. Ford started the newspaper. Later, C.C. Galloway, a local businessman, took over its leadership in 1930. Mildred Brown and her husband worked for the paper for a while. They later left to start their own newspaper, the Omaha Star, in 1938. The Omaha Guide faced tough competition from the Omaha Star and other papers. Because of this, fewer people bought it in its final years, and it closed in 1958.
How the Omaha Guide Started
Nebraska has had many black newspapers since the late 1800s. Most of the successful ones were in Omaha. One well-known African American newspaper in the city was the New Era. It was published from 1920 to 1926.
The New Era closed in August 1926 because it cost too much to print. After that, Herman J. Ford started the Omaha Guide. Its first issue came out on February 27, 1927. The newspaper mainly focused on news from the North 24th Street area of Omaha.
What Was Inside the Omaha Guide?
The first five years of the Omaha Guide issues are now missing. The paper likely had money problems when it first started. It even had trouble paying the Associated Negro Press for their news services.
In 1930, Herman J. Ford left the newspaper. He moved to Washington, D.C.. He only wrote for the paper briefly in 1937. C.C. Galloway, a local businessman, then took charge of the paper's stories and content.
In 1931, Galloway wrote a letter about his plans. He wanted to create a "Red-Hot" paper. He aimed to "smash the color line" with a new newspaper. "Color line" meant the unfair rules and barriers that separated people based on their race. He wanted a paper that came out twice a week and had ten pages. He hired M.L. Harris and Arthur B. McCaw to help. They oversaw different parts of the paper and wrote articles.
The Omaha Guide first had eight pages. Four pages were for an "Illustrated Feature Section." This section had stories and other fun features. The other four pages were for regular news. By 1933, the paper became smaller, with only four pages. Throughout the 1930s, its size changed between four and eight pages.
Many famous musicians wrote for the paper. These included Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Earl Hines. They wrote about their visits to Omaha.
Around the time of World War II, the Omaha Guide was very interested in world events. It reported on countries outside of Europe and North America. For example, it wrote about Japan and its role in India and the Philippines. It also covered the Second Italo-Ethiopian War in Africa. The paper even reported on the Spanish Civil War when black people were involved.
Galloway first supported Herbert Hoover in the 1932 presidential election. But the Guide slowly changed its political views. It started using news from the Crusader News Service, which had communist ties. The paper even printed radical ideas, like supporting the League of Struggle for Negro Rights.
In 1937, Galloway's control over the paper's content lessened. This was also when he became less interested in radical economic ideas. The paper then shifted to more moderate views. This happened when Mildred Brown and her husband Edward Gilbert were hired. The Crusader News Service was replaced by the work of the more moderate Floyd J. Calvin.
A year later, Brown and Gilbert left the paper. They started their own newspaper, the Omaha Star. Galloway then took charge of the Omaha Guide again. The Omaha Guide was much larger than other black newspapers in Omaha at the time. These included the New Era and the Monitor. The Omaha Guide also focused more on politics and cultural life.
In 1939, the printing machines for the Omaha Guide were damaged in a fire. The paper recovered, but it went back to a four-page layout for six more years. Around this time, about 25,000 copies of the paper were printed.
Why the Omaha Guide Closed
After the fire, fewer people subscribed to the Omaha Guide. The African American community in Omaha was happy with other newspapers. These included the Omaha Star and the Omaha World-Herald.
The very last issue of the Omaha Guide was printed on March 15, 1958. After the paper closed, the Omaha Star was the only black newspaper left in Omaha.
