# List of African American newspapers in Washington, D.C.

This is a list of African American newspapers that have been published in Washington, D.C. It includes both current and historical newspapers.
Although Washington was home to abolitionist papers prior to the American Civil War (1861-1865), the first known newspaper published by and for African Americans in the District of Columbia was the New Era, which Frederick Douglass launched in 1870.
Notable newspapers in Washington today include the Washington Afro-American and Washington Informer.

## Newspapers

| Title | Beginning | End | Frequency | Call numbers | Remarks |
| The Washington Afro-American / Washington Afro-American and Washington Tribune (1984–2015) / The Afro-American | 1932 or 1937 | current | Weekly | ISSN 0276-6523 LCCN sn92003332 OCLC 26136335 for others, see Washington Afro-American | Official site Free online archive Washington edition of the Baltimore Afro-American. |
| The Anacostia Grapevine | 1991 | ? | Monthly | ISSN 1062-2985 LCCN sn9203239 OCLC 25573846 | Edited by Qevin Q. Weathersby. |
| The Washington Bee / The Bee (1882–1884) | 1882 | 1922 | Weekly | The Bee: ISSN 2157-3298 LCCN 2014254321, sn84025890 OCLC 701511424, 10587821 The Washington Bee: ISSN 1940-7424 LCCN 2008264012, sn84025891 OCLC 190847351, 10587828, 2776152, 8795165 | Available online |
| Black Land News | 1971? | ? | Bimonthly | OCLC 30764192 | |
| Black Networking News | 1989 | ? | Monthly newspaper | ISSN 1042-3842 LCCN sn89007999 OCLC 19031315 | Published by Donald Temple. |
| The Capital Spotlight | 1954 | ? | Weekly | ISSN 0411-0137 LCCN sn8902958 OCLC 20448216 | Extant through at least 1997. Billed as “Washington’s Oldest Black Weekly Newspaper.” |
| Capital Times | 1948 | ? | Weekly | LCCN sn99063211 OCLC 41044772 | Extant through at least 1950. |
| The Grit | 1883 | 1884 | Weekly | LCCN 2012254013, sn84025892 OCLC 664617204, 10587833 | Description based on: Vol. 1, no. 1 (Dec. 21, 1883); title from PDF masthead (Readex America's Historical Newspapers Web site, viewed Jan. 5, 2012). Latest issue consulted: Vol. 1, no. 12 (Mar. 22, 1884) (viewed Jan. 5, 2012). Published by W.B. Avery |
| The Washington City Tribune | 1964? | ? | Weekly | | |
| The Colored American | 1893 | 1904 | Weekly | ISSN 1940-7416 LCCN 2007264048, sn83027091 OCLC 182729036, 9948037, 2637065 | Available online Published by Edward Elder Cooper. |
| The Columbia Sentinel | 1896 | ? | Weekly | LCCN sn88063004 OCLC 17331881 | Aligned with the Republican Party. |
| The Common Denominator | 1998 | 2006 | Biweekly | ISSN 1521-1517 LCCN sn98067631 OCLC 39376414 | Available online Billed as "Washington's Independent Hometown Newspaper." |
| The Commoner | 1875 | 1875 | Weekly | LCCN sn86053473 OCLC 13712980 | Edited by George W. Williams. |
| The Communicator | 1974? | ? | Bimonthly | | Published by Howard University. |
| Washington Daily American | 1918? | 1925? | Daily except Sunday | | Edited by Eugene Davidson. Billed as the “Oldest Colored Daily in the United States.” |
| Washington Daily Sun | 1968? | ? | Daily | | Published by Eugene M. Gardner. Billed as “Washington’s only daily Black newspaper.” Extant through at least 1969. |
| Washington Eagle News | 1993 or 1994 | ? | Bimonthly or monthly | LCCN sn98062510 OCLC 36178327 | Extant through at least 1997. |
| Washington Eagle: National Negro Weekly | 1913? | ? | Weekly | | Extant through at least 1927. |
| The Exodus | 1880 | ? | Weekly | LCCN sn84024434 OCLC 10873779 | Published by J.D. Bagwell and G.W. Hardmond. |
| Washington Gaily News | 1931? | ? | Weekly | LCCN sn93062830 OCLC 32229729, 27322091 | Billed as a “[r]eview of fads and follies - a social and pleasure guide.” Extant through at least 1958. |
| Grass Roots News | 1970s | 1974 | Monthly newspaper | LCCN sn94053348 OCLC 8567390 | |
| Washington Grit | 1883 | 1884 | Weekly | Washington Grit: LCCN 2012254036, sn84025893 OCLC 770739115, 10587840 The Grit: LCCN sn84025892 OCLC 2806393, 10587833 | Published by P.H. Carson, and from April to July 1884 by John E. Bruce. |
| Iere: A Caribbean Newspaper | 1972 | 1989? | Monthly newspaper | | Edited by Harold McKell. Official newspaper of the Trinidad & Tobago Association. |
| The Washington Informer | 1964 | current | Weekly | ISSN 0741-9414 LCCN sn84007874 OCLC 10269159 | Official site |
| The Leader / The National Leader (1888–1889) | 1888 | 1894 | Weekly | The Leader: LCCN 2013254047, sn84025835 OCLC 811647325, 10373277 The National Leader: LCCN 2013254049, sn84025834 OCLC 811647320, 10373249 | Also the name of a national newspaper and magazine in the 1980s. |
| The Metro Chronicle | 1986 | 1990 | Weekly | LCCN 2013254321, sn92060456 OCLC 844983068, 21915602 | Followed by The National Chronicle. Billed as "[t]he weekly newspaper linking responsible black viewpoints." |
| Naked City News | 1985? | ? | Unknown | OCLC 3071865 | Published by Edward D. Sargent. Extant through at least 1996. |
| National Black Register | 1974 | ? | Bimonthly newspaper | | Extant through at least 1976. |
| The National Chronicle | 1990 | 1992 | Weekly | ISSN 1061-5881 LCCN 2013254331, sn92003168 OCLC 664611330, 22339456 | |
| The National Forum | 1910 | ? | Weekly | ISSN 1940-7327 LCCN 2007264067, sn82015056 OCLC 182832356, 8797812 | Available online Published by Ralph W. White |
| National Savings Bank | 1868 | 1800s | Monthly newspaper | LCCN sn96027351 OCLC 34135980 | Published by Freedman's Savings and Trust Co. |
| The New Citizen | 1873 | 1873 | Weekly | LCCN sn93059155 OCLC 27420273 | Followed by New national era. [volume] Published by New Citizen Pub. Co. |
| New Era (1870) / New National Era (1870–1874) / The New National Era and Citizen | 1870 | 1874 | Weekly | New Era: ISSN 2471-6324, 2471-6316 LCCN 2016271026, sn84024437 OCLC 945693083, 10931292 New National Era: ISSN 2471-6359, 2471-6340 LCCN 2016271027, sn84026753 OCLC 945693431, 10641996 | Available online (New Era) Available online (New National Era) Frederick Douglass was initially an investor, and had purchased the paper before 1870 was out. The paper employed his sons Lewis Henry Douglass and Frederick Douglass Jr., who were both trained printers. |
| The Washington New Observer / New Observer (–1984) | 1958? or 1960 | | Weekly | The New Observer (1960–1984): LCCN sn85055202 OCLC 7863043 The Washington New Observer (1984–): ISSN 1060-3913 LCCN sn91003143 OCLC 24957870 | Extant through at least 1992. Published by J.H. Warren, Sr., and by J.H. Warren, Jr., from 1973 to 1983. |
| News Dimensions | 1992 | | Weekly | LCCN sn9203391 OCLC 26269607 | Edited by Barry A. Murray. Extant through at least 1995. |
| The Washington North Star | 1981 | ? | Weekly or irregular | LCCN sn88063041 OCLC 8441592 | Published by Ofield Dukes. |
| The Northeast Star | 1988 | 1900s | Monthly newspaper | LCCN sn98062506 OCLC 38956426 | |
| Pan-African Roots | 1991? | 1994 | Quarterly newspaper | OCLC 29291254 | Published by Bob Brown and Banbose Shango. Billed as “[t]he Independent and Progressive Voice of 1 Billion African People.” |
| People’s Advocate | 1876 | 1886? | Weekly | LCCN sn84025894 OCLC 10587978, 2772348 | Published in Alexandria, Virginia from April 15 to September 9, 1876. |
| Washington Press | 1961 | ? | Unknown | | Extant through at least 1962. |
| Prince Hall Masonic Digest | 1973? | ? | Quarterly newspaper | | |
| Washington Sentinel | 1922? | ? | Weekly | | Published by West A. Hamilton. Extant through at least 1930. |
| The Washington Sun | 1914 | ? | Weekly | LCCN sn87062359 OCLC 16678514 | Extant through at least 1915. Published and edited by Julia P.H. Coleman. |
| The Washington Sun / The New Washington Sun (1975–1980s) | 1968 | current | Weekly | LCCN sn98062559 OCLC 27255255 | Official feed Founded by Joseph C. Cooke. "Rejecting cigarette and liquor advertising, Mr. Cooke sought to put a positive light on local and national developments affecting his readers." |
| Third World | 1970 | ? | Biweekly | LCCN sn96094941 OCLC 14584198 | |
| Washington Times | 1980 or 1981 | 1981? | Weekly | | Founded by James Forman. |
| Washington Tribune | 1921 | 1946 | Twice weekly | LCCN sn87062236, sn94081606 OCLC 16046622, 32229727, 2637685 | |