Portland New Age facts for kids
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| Type | African American newspaper |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Adolphus D. Griffin |
| Founded | 1896 |
| City | Oregon |
| Country | United States |
The New Age, later called the Portland New Age, was a very important newspaper. It was the first newspaper in the U.S. state of Oregon made specifically for African Americans.
Contents
The Story of The New Age Newspaper
Starting a New Voice
Adolphus D. Griffin, also known as A.D. Griffin, started The New Age in 1896. This was a weekly newspaper, meaning it came out once a week. Mr. Griffin was a very busy person! He worked as an editor, a publisher, and even a politician. People knew him as a leader for Black people in the Willamette Valley area of Oregon.
Soon after starting, Mr. Griffin offered to give the newspaper away for free. He wanted all Black residents in Portland to be able to read it. At that time, fewer than 800 Black people lived in Portland.
Reaching Readers in Oregon
Even though there were not many Black people in Oregon, they were often very good at reading. This was especially true compared to some other groups at the time.
Back then, a rule in the Oregon Constitution made it hard for Black people to live in the state. So, The New Age was very important. It shared national news and local stories for its Black readers. It probably also had some white readers too.
Mr. Griffin was also a member of the Oregon Press Association. This group was for people who worked in newspapers.
The Newspaper's End
Before starting The New Age, Mr. Griffin was an editor for another newspaper. It was called the Northwest Echo in Spokane, Washington.
For reasons we don't know, Mr. Griffin left Portland in 1907. When he left, The New Age newspaper stopped being published. He passed away nine years later. At that time, he was editing a newspaper in Kansas called the Elevator.
Today, you can still find copies of The New Age. The Oregon Historical Society has about 400 issues. The University of Oregon and Harvard University also have copies on microfilm. Microfilm is a way to store old documents on tiny film.
