The Chicago Crusader facts for kids

The Chicago Crusader is a weekly newspaper from Chicago. It is written for and by African Americans. The newspaper started in 1940. Back then, it was called The Crusader. Later, it was known as The New Crusader until 1981.

The Chicago Crusader is part of the Crusader Newspaper Group. The other newspaper in this group is the Gary Crusader. Balm L. Leavell and Joseph H. Jefferson started the newspaper in 1940. Balm Leavell ran it until he passed away in 1968. His wife, Dorothy Leavell, then took over. It is the longest-running African-American weekly newspaper in Chicago.

The Newspaper's Story

How It All Began

The Crusader began in 1940. It was just one page long. The newspaper was run from an apartment. This apartment was in the Ida B. Wells Homes on Chicago's South Side. In its early days, the newspaper helped the Negro Labor Relations League. This group worked to fight against unfair treatment in jobs in Chicago.

Later, the newspaper moved to its current home. This is on King Drive in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood. By the late 1960s, about 31,000 copies were printed each week.

Important Columns and Writers

The Crusader was very important in history. It published a column called "Muhammad Speaks." This column was written by Elijah Muhammad. He was a leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI). This happened in the 1950s. It was before the NOI started its own newspaper, Muhammad Speaks. Only a few newspapers printed this column. The Pittsburgh Courier was another one.

During the same time, The Crusader also had a column. It was called "Women of Islam." Tynnetta Muhammad wrote this column. She used the name Tyneta Denear. She later wrote a column with the same name for Muhammad Speaks. When the Nation of Islam started Muhammad Speaks, they hired Dan Burley. He had worked for The Crusader and Chicago Defender.

Inviting a Leader

In 1960, the newspaper invited a special guest. They formally asked Jomo Kenyatta to speak in Chicago. He was a leader fighting for Kenya's independence. At that time, he was in prison.

Dorothy Leavell's Leadership

Dorothy Leavell joined the newspaper in 1961. She started as the office manager. She married Balm Leavell soon after. In 1964, she became the business manager. When her husband passed away, she took charge of the whole newspaper.

Dorothy Leavell has been a leader in many African-American publishing groups. In 2016, she was honored. She was put into the National Black Journalists Hall of Fame. In 2018, she also took over Chicago's Chicago Reader. This is another type of weekly newspaper.