The St. Louis American facts for kids

The St. Louis American is a newspaper that comes out every week. It is made for the African-American community in St. Louis, Missouri. The very first newspaper was printed in March 1928. In 1930, the newspaper started a special project called "Buy Where You Can Work." Later, in 1981, a person named Donald Suggs and two other people bought most of the newspaper. By 1984, Mr. Suggs owned the most shares and became the main publisher.

The Story of The St. Louis American

The St. Louis American newspaper has been printed without stopping since 1928. It is the only African American newspaper in St. Louis that has been published for so long. It is also the newspaper that has been printed weekly for the longest time in the St. Louis area. Today, it is the biggest weekly newspaper in the whole state of Missouri.

How the Newspaper Started

Judge Nathan B. Young Jr and several African American business people started The St. Louis American. One of these people was Homer G. Phillips. When it first started, the American was a small newspaper with eight pages. It was sold for money and had about 2,000 copies printed.

Less than a year later, Nathaniel Sweets joined the newspaper. Mr. Sweets helped keep the American going for more than 45 years. He was both an owner and a publisher.

Growing Through the Years

During the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the American became more respected. More and more people started to read it. This was thanks to its amazing editor, Bennie G. Rodgers. He worked for the newspaper for over 50 years. He is still known as a very important person in black journalism in St. Louis.

A New Leader and a Big Change

Donald M. Suggs became the publisher of The St. Louis American in the early 1980s. When Mr. Suggs took over, about 4,400 copies of the newspaper were printed. He made a very important change. The newspaper used to be sold for money and had a limited number of copies. Mr. Suggs decided it should become a free weekly newspaper. This helped it reach many more African American people in the St. Louis area.

Awards and Achievements

The St. Louis American has won over 100 awards. These awards are for its great journalism, its design, and its help in the community. The newspaper has won awards from local, regional, and national groups.

• In 2015, the Local Media Association named it the Newspaper of the Year.
• The National Newspaper Publishers’ Association has called the American the #1 African-American Newspaper in the Nation 12 times recently. This includes five years in a row from 2012 to 2016.
• It has won the Missouri Press Association’s first place award for General Excellence five times.
• The newspaper was also named a Missouri GOLD MEDAL newspaper in 2013 and 2014.
• In 2016, the newspaper's Publisher, Donald M. Suggs, was named Publisher of the Year by the NNPA.