When worshipers gather at Metropolitan AME Church in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, March 16, their morning service will carry a special significance. They’ll be celebrating the 198th anniversary of the Black press — a cornerstone of Black civil rights and community building since the founding of Freedom’s Journal, the first Black-owned newspaper, in 1827.
The service, a collaboration between the Washington Association of Black Journalists and The Afro-American Newspapers, will also mark the 60th anniversary of The Washington Informer — founded by Dr. Calvin W. Rolark and currently published by his daughter, Denise Rolark Barnes. (Disclosure: The Baltimore AFRO and The Washington Informer are two of Word In Black’s partner publishers.)
“We are proud to gather at this historic church to celebrate the resilience and influence of the Black press,” Denise Rolark Barnes said. “For nearly two centuries, Black newspapers have been at the forefront of truth-telling, advocacy, and community-building. As the Washington Informer marks 60 years of service, we reaffirm our commitment to keeping our readers informed, engaged, and empowered.”
On a Mission to Publish Truth
In the early 19th century, newspapers owned and operated by white people refused to tell the truth about the abolition movement and refused to report on Black folks with any semblance of accuracy or humanity. In 1827, soon after slavery was outlawed in New York state, New York City residents John Russworm and Samuel Conish, both active in campaigns to end slavery in the South and combat discrimination in the North, founded Freedom’s Journal in response.
“We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us. Too long has the publick been deceived by misrepresentation in things which concern us dearly,” they published on the front page of the paper’s first printing. Freedom’s Journal shut down two years later in 1829, but the drive to report the truth about Black America could not be stopped.
In December 1847, some 20 years after the founding of Freedom’s Journal, abolitionist Frederick Douglass launched his first antislavery newspaper, The North Star. Metropolitan AME Church, where Sunday’s commemorative service will take place, is the site of Douglass’s funeral. The church also has ties to other notable figures in Black journalism. It hosted the funeral of Ida B. Wells, the anti-lynching crusader and mother of investigative journalism.
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Rev. William H. Lamar IV, Metropolitan’s pastor, said that “at a such a time as this, when truth is under assault and the voices of the marginalized are often silenced, the Black press remains a prophetic force for justice. The same faith that sustained Frederick Douglass and Ida B. Wells fuels our commitment today to speaking truth to power.”
The church, he said, is “honored to host this sacred gathering, recognizing that our stories, our struggles, and our triumphs must continue to be told.”
Pray and Take Action
John Henry Murphy, a former Army sergeant who served in the Civil War, founded The Baltimore AFRO-American in 1892. His hope was to provide the good news of the Black community with integrity and hope for the future.
“The Black church and the Black press, along with like-minded civil rights organizations and their leaders, have partnered to advance the cause of Black people for decades. So, I am encouraged that the Black press is being recognized and celebrated on this Black Press Sunday,” said Frances Murphy Draper, CEO and publisher of the AFRO-American Newspapers.
“For nearly two centuries, the Black press has magnified messages of hope and resilience, and has been a trustworthy, truthful voice for our communities,” Draper said. “The methods have changed, but the message remains the same.”
The “hard-won rights that our foremothers and forefathers fought for” are under attack, Draper said, so “the Black-owned press is needed now more than ever before.”
To that end, Draper, who serves as first vice chair of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and is chair of Word in Black’s board, hopes supporters of Black press will give feet to the prayers they offer on Sunday.
“I encourage everyone who cares not just about the sustainability of the Black press, but the growth of Black press to subscribe, sign up for newsletters — nearly all members of the Black press have them —follow the Black press on social media and support those who support the Black press through their paid advertising and sponsorships,” Draper said.
“While all of these actions are imperative, we must never forget that it was, and still remains, prayer that sustains us. So, on this Black press Sunday, we gather to thank God for our nearly 200 years and ask His guidance for 200 more.”
