The People's Voice (newspaper) facts for kids
A Harlem newsboy stands in front of a poster for a series in The People's Voice (May 1943)
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| Founder(s) | Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. |
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| Publisher | Powell-Buchanan Pub. Co |
| Founded | 1942 |
| Ceased publication | 1948 |
| Headquarters | 210 West 125th Street Harlem, New York City, NY, United States |
The People's Voice, also known as Voice, was a newspaper created in Harlem, New York City. It was made to serve the African American community. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., a New York politician and pastor, started the newspaper in 1942.
Voice mainly focused on issues of fairness for all people, local news, and special investigations. It also covered entertainment and sports. Many important activists and writers worked for Voice, including Ann Petry, Fredi Washington, and Marvel Cooke. The newspaper stopped being published in 1948. This was partly because some people thought it was spreading ideas linked to Communism.
Contents
The Story of The People's Voice
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. started The People’s Voice in 1941. When Powell first joined the New York City Council in 1941, some journalists in Harlem criticized him. His supporter, Charlie Buchanan, and an investor named Mo Gale, encouraged Powell to start his own newspaper. This would help him share his own views.
So, Powell and Buchanan created the Powell-Buchanan Publishing Company in New York City. Their office was at 210 West 125th Street in Harlem. Powell named the paper The People’s Voice because he was inspired by ideas of a democratic group where everyone has a say.
Why Powell Started the Newspaper
The newspaper also helped Powell share his political ideas. It prepared the way for him to run for Congress later. Powell also wanted his paper to be different from others, like the Amsterdam News, where he used to work. He felt that paper didn't have enough "information for the democratically-minded African American reader."
Powell asked writers from the Amsterdam News to join Voice. These included journalists Marvel Cooke and St. Claire Bourne.
How the Newspaper Grew
Voice published its first issue on February 14, 1942. It came out every week. When it was most popular, it sold about 40,000 to 50,000 copies each week.
The paper published articles criticizing unfair treatment of Black people in many areas. It featured writers who supported the Double V campaign. This campaign encouraged African Americans to fight for fairness both in Europe and the United States.
Changes in Leadership
When Powell became the first African American congressman from New York in 1945, he had to balance his activism with his new job. To please people who were against Communism, he tried to remove staff members who were thought to have Communist ideas. These included Fredi Washington and Doxey Wilkerson.
Soon after winning his election to Congress, Powell left his job as editor and chairman of the publishing company. Denton J. Brooks, Jr. took over, and then Max Yergan became the editor.
Why the Newspaper Closed
Attacks against the paper for its links to Communism, changes in staff, and money problems all led to its closing in 1948. In total, The People’s Voice was published for six years.
Key People at The People's Voice
Many talented people worked to create The People's Voice.
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. was the founder, editor, and a co-publisher of The People’s Voice. He was born in 1908. His father, Adam Clayton Powell, Sr., was a famous Baptist preacher. Powell started The People’s Voice after finishing college. He was the paper’s editor until he was elected the first Black New York state representative in 1945.
Marvel Cooke
Journalist and activist Marvel Cooke worked as the assistant managing editor. Later in her career, she made history by becoming the first African American woman to work at The Daily Compass. This was a popular newspaper mainly for White readers.
Ann Petry
Ann Petry was a writer and social activist who wrote about African American life. She also worked for Voice as a reporter from 1941 to 1944. Years after she left Voice, Petry became the first African American woman to sell over a million copies of a book with her novel The Street.
Fredi Washington
Another important person was Fredi Washington. She was Powell’s sister-in-law and a well-known Black actress. She also helped start the Negro Actors Guild. As the paper’s entertainment editor, she shared news about local events. She also highlighted the careers of Black entertainers and the challenges they faced as Black artists.
What The People's Voice Covered
The People’s Voice wrote about many different topics. These included unfair treatment in the city, entertainment, and opinion pieces. These articles were mostly for the local African American readers in Harlem.
Advocating for the Community
Voice supported the local community by making direct suggestions to the city government. For example, after a serious event in Detroit in 1943, Powell used Voice to ask the New York City council to create a committee. This committee would advise on issues of fairness for all races. He hoped this would prevent similar problems in New York.
The People's Voice also started its own investigations into local issues, especially with the New York City police. For example, in 1942, a Black Harlem resident was killed by a White policeman. The People's Voice started an investigation of the police department. Powell also organized protests. The Police Commissioner, Lewis J. Valentine, criticized Powell and his paper, calling their actions "dangerous."
Voice also worked with other civil rights groups in the city. They helped spread awareness of their goals and offered advice to the Black community. Some of these groups were the Council on African Affairs and the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League.
Beyond New York City
Besides local events, Voice also commented on issues outside of New York City. This was especially true when the events involved matters of race. In his own opinion column called "Soap Box," Powell criticized the government for putting Japanese-Americans in special camps. He also supported India's fight for independence from Britain. He spoke out against the killing of Jewish people in Poland.
Promoting Powell's Career
One common theme in the paper was promoting Powell's political career. While Powell was on the city council, the paper reported on his activities, speeches, and ideas. When he ran for Congress, the paper announced his campaign events. It highlighted his involvement and even published an endorsement from Eleanor Roosevelt. Later, the paper praised his work in Congress, even though he was no longer the editor.
While Voice's staff didn't mind Powell using the paper to promote his career, some other Black activists and politicians found it concerning.
Links to Communism
The People's Voice was seen as controversial because of its possible connections to the Communist Party. Powell said he was politically independent. However, many people thought he was influenced by Communist ideas. He specifically named the newspaper The People’s Voice because it sounded like Communist ideas of shared ownership. This fit his career theme of using the word "people."
Staff Members with Communist Views
Besides Powell himself, some staff members at Voice openly supported Communism. These included writers Marvel Cooke and Doxey Wilkerson, and even the later editor-in-chief Max Yergan. Later, Benjamin Davis Jr., who took Powell's place on the New York City council and used to write for Voice, shared his political ideas in a regular column. This made the paper's tone lean more towards left-wing ideas.
However, supporting Communism was not unique to these writers. Many progressive Black community members supported Communist politicians. This was because the Communist party was the only U.S. political group to support anti-racism and anti-lynching laws.
Government Attention
The government noticed The People’s Voice's connection to Communism. In 1943, the FBI office in New York wrote a report about Powell and his "Communist-like tendencies." The report mentioned parts of The People’s Voice that almost got Powell into serious trouble with the law. Powell left the paper in December 1946 because he was advised that his connection to such a left-leaning organization might hurt his political career.
While Powell was busy with his duties in Congress, Voice also published columns by Communist Party member and councilman Benjamin Davis. These columns supported fairness for all races and economic justice. Critics' disapproval of Voice's links to Communism, along with Powell letting go of some staff members due to accusations of being Communists, led to the paper's closing in 1948.
