The Advocate (Portland, Oregon) facts for kids
The Advocate newspaper article, 1924
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| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1903 |
| Ceased publication | 1933 |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
The Advocate was a weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon. It started in 1903 and was printed on four pages. This newspaper was created to report on important topics for racial minorities. It was known as Portland's second oldest Black newspaper. When it stopped being published in 1933, it was the only Black-owned newspaper left in the area.
In its early years, The Advocate had different names. It was called the Mt. Scott Herald from 1913 to 1924. It might also have been known as the Beaver State Herald. The newspaper covered many subjects for both Black and white communities in Portland. It focused on issues like segregation, unfair treatment, and job opportunities.
Contents
Who Started The Advocate?
The Advocate began with the idea of starting a Black newspaper. C. B. F. Moore, a pastor, led this effort in Portland. Edward Rutherford said he loaned money to Moore in 1903 for this project. A lawsuit in 1906 shared details about how The Advocate started. E. D. Cannady, who worked at the Hotel Portland, also invested money.
By May 1904, Moore was no longer the editor. The newspaper staff reorganized, and Cannady became the managing editor. The lawsuit later cleared Cannady of any debt.
Early Team Members
Many people helped start The Advocate. They included J. A. Merriman, J. C. Logan, Edward Rutherford, E. D. Cannady, Bob Perry, Howard Sproules, C. F. B. Moore, Edward Hunt, McCants Stewart, W. H. Bolds, and A. Ballard. Most of them worked at The Hotel Portland. Many founders left the project after a few months. This was because the work was very demanding, and they already had other jobs. After some years, E. D. Cannady ran the newspaper by himself. He worked long hours at the hotel but made sure The Advocate was published every Friday.
Cannady and Sproull faced a lawsuit in 1907. It was filed by John Logan, who had been a witness in an earlier case. Cannady also faced other legal issues the next year. In 1919, a competing newspaper, The Times, published an article about Beatrice Cannady. The Advocate filed a lawsuit, which led to The Times taking back its statements.
Beatrice Morrow Cannady's Role
Beatrice Morrow was a very important civil rights activist in Oregon. She moved to Portland and married Edward Cannady, the editor of The Advocate, in 1912. She became the assistant editor of the newspaper. She held this role for twenty-four years. After her divorce in 1930, Beatrice became the editor and owner of The Advocate.
At that time, Portland had a small African American population. Beatrice Morrow Cannady quickly became involved in civil rights issues. She protested against the movie The Birth of a Nation. This silent film showed the KKK as heroes, which was very racist. Through her writing in The Advocate, she spoke out against racial issues. These issues affected hotels, restaurants, and movie theaters. She also kept her readers informed about Ku Klux Klan activities in Oregon.
Fighting for Equality
One of Beatrice's biggest achievements was challenging the exclusion of African Americans. Many towns in the Pacific Northwest did not allow Black people to live there. She focused on towns like Vernonia, Oregon, and Longview, Washington. Besides working on The Advocate, she gave many talks and presentations.
Beatrice also made history by becoming the first African American to graduate from Northwestern College of Law in 1922. She worked hard to remove racist language from the Oregon Constitution. She finally succeeded in 1927. She continued her important work in Oregon through the 1930s. Later, she moved to California. Her granddaughter, Cynthia Cannady, remembers her as a talented woman. She had a strong sense of what was right.
She was a tireless civil rights leader at a time when the Klan was active in Oregon and exclusion laws prohibited African-Americans from even residing in the state. She was a feminist at a time when women's suffrage was new and sexism was the norm. She was a believer in the equality of cultures and religions at a time when cultural arrogance and religious zealotry were common.
The Advocate's Impact
Portland's African American community saw The Advocate as a very important newspaper. It helped start conversations about race relations in Oregon and across the country. The newspaper was printed weekly. It included birth and death announcements, hotel news, and good news about the African American community.
Articles and editorials discussed segregation, unfair treatment, and job opportunities. This kept the realities of Jim Crow laws and the need for civil rights on everyone's mind. These issues were important locally, statewide, and nationally.
On the newspaper's 22nd birthday, E. D. Cannady praised Beatrice. He gave her "the lion's share of credit" for her bravery and faith. He noted her loyalty to the people she served and her self-confidence.
In 1936, The Advocate worked with the Portland Art Museum. They helped show a collection of art by Black artists. This collection came from the New York–based Harmon Foundation.
Finding Old Issues
In February 2019, original copies of The Advocate were given to the University of Oregon Library. This donation was anonymous. Now, issues of The Advocate from October 1924 to December 1933 are online. You can find them in the library's Historic Oregon Newspaper resource. This online access helps make the history of African American journalism in Oregon easier to find.
Images for kids
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The Birth of a Nation, a racist movie Beatrice Morrow helped protest against.
