# List of African American newspapers in Illinois

This is a list of African American newspapers in Illinois. To be included, a newspaper should be attested in a reliable source as an African American newspaper published in Illinois. The list is divided by region, and the newspapers attested in each region are placed in alphabetic order by city.
Illinois' first African American newspaper was the Cairo Weekly Gazette, established in 1862. The first in Chicago was The Chicago Conservator, established in 1878. An estimated 190 Black newspapers had been founded in Illinois by 1975, and more have continued to be established in the decades since.
While most such newspapers in Illinois have been local, some like the Chicago-based Chicago Defender and Muhammad Speaks have had a major national circulation and impact. National Black newspaper networks, including the Defender syndicate and Associated Negro Press, have also been headquartered in Chicago.

## Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois covers the northern third of Illinois, and is by far the most populous of Illinois' regions. Most of population is concentrated in the Chicago metropolitan area, and most of the region's African American newspapers have likewise been concentrated in and near Chicago.
| City | Title | Beginning | End | Frequency | Remarks |
| Chicago | Abbott's Weekly & Illustrated News | 1933 | 1934 | Weekly | Published by Robert Sengstacke Abbott. |
| Chicago | Advance | 1890 | 1900 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | The Chicago Advocate | 1905 (uncertain) | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | African-American Voice / The Voice of the Black Community | 1994 (uncertain) | ? | Biweekly | |
| Chicago | All About Us | 1896 | 1899 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | All Chicago Focus | 1990 (uncertain) | 1991 | Twice monthly | |
| Chicago | A.M.E. Record | 1895 | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Appeal | 1885 | 1926 or 1923 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Aspect | 1908 | 1908 | Weekly | |
| Chicago (Austin) | The Austin Voice | 1986 | ? | Biweekly | official site |
| Chicago (Austin) | The Austin Weekly News | 1987 | current | Weekly | official site |
| Chicago | The Chicago Bee and Sunday Bee | 1925 | 1947 | Weekly | Founded by Anthony Overton. |
| Chicago | Bee-Free Speech | 1888 | 1895 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Black Truth | 1968 | 1971 (or later) or 1970 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Black X-Press | 1973 | 1970s | Weekly | Founded by Lu Palmer |
| Chicago | The Broad Ax | 1895 | 1935 | Weekly | Moved to Chicago in 1899; published from August 1895 to June 1899 in Salt Lake City, Utah. |
| Chicago | Brotherhood | 1890 | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Bronzeville | 1943 | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Bulletin | 1958 | 1972 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Busy Bee | 1896 | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago (Chatham) | Chatham-Southeast Citizen / Chatham Citizen | 1965 | current | Weekly | Part of the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group. Official site |
| Chicago | The Chicago Courier | 1938 | | Weekly | Chicago affiliate of the Pittsburgh Courier |
| Chicago | Chicago Defender | 1905 | current | Weekly; daily from 1956 to 2008 | Became online-only in 2019. Official site |
| Chicago | Christian Gibraltar | 1910 | 1970 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Christian Science | 1895 | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Chronicle | 1918 | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Church Organ | 1893 | 1898 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Church Record | 1895 | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Citizen | 1965 | | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Clipper | 1885 | 1898 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Conservator | 1878 | 1914 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Courier | 1932 | 1932 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Crusader | 1937 | ? | Weekly | Distinct from the Chicago Crusader that was established 1940 as the New Crusader. |
| Chicago | New Crusader / The Chicago Crusader | 1940 | current | Weekly | Published by Balm Leavell until 1968 and subsequently by Dorothy Leavell. Official site |
| Chicago | Daily Times | ? | ? | Daily | |
| Chicago | Dynamite | 1936 or 1937 | 1939 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Eagle | 1889 | 1930 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | East Side Monitor | ? | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Egyptian Sun | ? | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Enterprise | 1918 | 1931 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Evening World | 1919 | 1919 | Daily | |
| Chicago | Fellowship Herald | 1916 | 1916 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | The Final Call | 1979 | current | Twice monthly | Official newspaper of the Nation of Islam. Official site |
| Chicago | Free Lance | 1895 | 1926 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Free Speech | 1888 | 1898 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Chicago Gazette | 1880s? | 1890s? | | No copies extant. Managing editor in 1893 was William Thomas Scott. |
| Chicago | The Chicago Gazette | 1949 or 1950 | current | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Globe Chicago Globe | 1950? | | Weekly | Circulation of 35,000 in 1951. |
| Chicago | Hero | 1889 | 1891 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Home Journal | ? | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Home News | 1925 | 1925 | Weekly | |
| Chicago (Hyde Park) | Hyde Park Citizen | 1988 (uncertain) | current | Weekly | Published by the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group. Official site |
| Chicago | Idea | 1900 | 1918 | Weekly | Published by W.D. Neighbors. |
| Chicago | Illinois Chronicle | 1900 | 1921 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Illinois Idea / The Chicago Illinois Idea / The Chicago Idea | 1903 | 1922 | Weekly | Published by S.B. Turner or "Mrs. S.B. Turner". |
| Chicago | Illinois Political News | 1939 (uncertain) | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Chicago Independent Bulletin | 1972 (uncertain) | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Inquirer | 1926 | 1926 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Chicago Journal | 1975 (uncertain) | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago (Lawndale) | Lawndale Drum | 1970 or 1972 | 1979 (uncertain) | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Leader | 1905 | 1906 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Messenger | 1942 | 1944 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Chicago Metro News (1972–1991) / Chicago-South Suburban News (1968–1972) / South Suburban News (–1968) | 1965 | 1991 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Metropolitan News (to 1938) / Metropolitan Post (to 1940) | 1935 | 1940 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Mission Star | 1890 | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago / Moline | Modern Farmer | 1930 | 1932 | Monthly newspaper | Official publication of the National Federation of Colored Farmers. Published in other years at Nashville, Tennessee. Available online |
| Chicago | Monitor | 1914 | 1915 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Muhammad Speaks | 1961 | 1975 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | National Aspect | 1910 | 1912 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Negro Champion | 1925 | 1929 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | The Negro Spearhead | 1968 | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | New Metro News | 1992 (uncertain) | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago (South Side) | News Clarion / South Side News-Clarion | 1964 | ? | Weekly | Founded by Chicago alderman Claude Holman. |
| Chicago | News Ledger | 1938 | 1941 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | News Scene | 1984 (uncertain) | | Twice monthly | |
| Chicago | Observer | 1885 | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | The Chicago Observer | 1964 | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | The Owl | 1962 | 1960s | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Pathfinder | ? | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | People's Advocate | 1900 | 1926 | Weekly | Published by Oscar De Priest |
| Chicago | People's Voice | 1918 | 1918 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Plain Dealer | 1888 | 1922 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | The Chicago Reflector | 1895 or 1896 | 1906 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Republican | 1888 | 1889 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Review | 1929 | 1932 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Royal Messenger | 1921 | 1932 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Savoyager | 1929 | 1932 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Chicago Scene | 1984 (uncertain) | 1993 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Search Light or Searchlight | 1910 | 1932 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | The Chicago Shoreland News / Chicago Shoreland | 1977 (uncertain) | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Smith's Arrow Weekly | ? | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | South End Citizen | 1965 (uncertain) | current | Weekly | Published by Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group. Official site |
| Chicago | The South Shopper | 1995 | ? | Monthly newspaper | |
| Chicago | South Side Bulletin: Chicago’s Progressive Community Weekly / Bulletin | 1959 (uncertain) | 1972 | Weekly | Published by the Southtown Economist. |
| Chicago (South Side) | South Street Journal | 1994 (uncertain) | 2010s | Biweekly | |
| Chicago | South Suburban Citizen | 1982 (uncertain) | current | Weekly | Published by Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group. Official site |
| Chicago | Southside Digest | 1931 | 1931 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Spokesman | 1932 | 1932 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Standard | 1894 | 1895 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Star | 1910 | 1946 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Sun | 1924 | 1924 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Supreme Liberty Guardian | ? | 1938 | Weekly or twice monthly | |
| Chicago | Today’s Chronicle | 1992 or 1996 | | Biweekly | |
| Chicago | Voice | 1910 | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | The Voice / Second Ward Voice / The First District Voice (1942) | 1940 | ? | Weekly | Official newspaper of the Second Ward Regular Democratic Organization. |
| Chicago | Wednesday's Focus | 1990 | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Chicago Weekend | 1974 (uncertain) | | Weekly | Published by the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group. |
| Chicago | Weekly Reporter | 1906 | 1906 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | West Side Torch | 1969 | 1969 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | Western Opinion | 1906 | 1909 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | The Chicago Whip | 1919 | 1939 | Weekly | |
| Chicago (West Side) | West Side Torch: The People's Paper | 1965 (uncertain) | 1971 (uncertain) | Biweekly | Published by the West Side Federation. |
| Chicago or Chicago Heights | Tri-City Journal | 1978 | | Weekly | |
| Chicago | The Windy City Word | 1992 (uncertain) | ? | Weekly | |
| Chicago (Woodlawn) | Woodlawn Booster / Woodlawn Booster and Bulletin | 1932 | 1973 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | The Chicago World | 1900 | 1902 | Weekly | |
| Chicago | The Chicago World | 1918 | 1953 | Weekly | Circulation of 32,000 in 1951. |
| Chicago Heights | Chicago Standard News | 1984 | current | Weekly | |
| East Moline | The Common Bond | 1975 | ? | Monthly newspaper | |
| Evanston | Evanston Guide | 1929 | 1932 | Weekly | |
| Evanston | Evanston Newsette | 1941 | ? | Weekly | |
| Evanston | Evanston Weekly | 1915 | 1931 | Weekly | |
| Evanston | North Shore Examiner | 1968 or 1971 | 1979 | Weekly, later monthly or bimonthly | |
| Harvey | Chicago South Suburban News | 1964 or 1966 | 1972 | Weekly | |
| Harvey | Suburban Journal | 1968 | | Weekly | |
| Hopkins Park (Pembroke Township) | Pembroke Herald Eagle | 1961 or 1962 | 1983 | Weekly | Published by Ozroe Bentley, remembered as "the conscience of a community." |
| Joliet | Voice or Negro Voice (1966) | 1950 | ? | Weekly | |
| Kankakee | Progressive Era | 1924 | 1942 | Weekly | |
| Maywood | Suburban Echo-Reporter | 1964 | ? | Weekly | |
| Robbins | Herald | 1917 | 1950 | Weekly | Circulation of 3,800. |
| Robbins | Informer | 1947 or 1948 | 1949 | Weekly | |
| Rockford | Crusader | 1950 | 1972 | Weekly | |
| Rockford | Vital Force | 1985 | 2000s | Weekly | Published by George Anne Duckett. |
| Rock Island | Tri City Oracle | 1898 | 1900 | Weekly | |
| South Holland | South Suburban Journal | 1975 (uncertain) | ? | Weekly | |
| Waukegan | North Shore Guardian | 1964 | ? | Weekly | |

## Central Illinois

Central Illinois is the middle third of the state. It includes the state capital Springfield and many other small cities such as Bloomington-Normal, Champaign-Urbana, Danville, Decatur, Galesburg and Peoria.
| City | Title | Beginning | End | Frequency | Remarks |
| Bloomington | American Pilot | 1896 | 1899 | Weekly | Published by A.M.E. minister and attorney Henry Washington Jameson. |
| Bloomington | Cooperative News | 1933 | 1938 | Weekly | |
| Champaign | Illinois Times | 1941 | 1971 | Weekly | Not to be confused with the Illinois Times of Springfield, an alternative weekly established in 1975. |
| Champaign | Plain Truth | 1967 | 1969 | Weekly | "[T]he first black power publication in Champaign-Urbana" |
| Danville | The Black Vanguard: for Unity in the Black Community | 1968 | ? | Weekly or irregular | |
| Danville | Illinois Times | 1939 | 1941 | Weekly | Not to be confused with the Illinois Times of Springfield, an alternative weekly established in 1975. |
| Danville | International | 1901 | 1902 | Weekly | |
| Danville | Inter-State Echo | 1909 | 1920 | Weekly | |
| Decatur | Advance Citizen | 1892 | 1932 | Weekly | |
| Decatur | The Voice / African-American Voice / Voice of the Black Community | 1967 | ? | Weekly | Publisher Horace Livingston, Jr., is the subject of a sculpture by Preston Eugene Jackson at Decatur's Mueller Park. The Voice also produced Bloomington, Peoria and Springfield editions. |
| Galesburg | Western Herald | 1884 | 1885 | Weekly | |
| Galesburg | The Illinois Star | 1935 | 1941? | Weekly | Available online |
| Litchfield | Afro-American Advocate | 1892 | 1893 | Weekly | At its founding, the Afro-American Advocate was the only African American newspaper in Illinois supporting the Democratic Party. |
| Peoria | Advance Citizen | 1892 | 1932 | Weekly | |
| Peoria | Black Rapper | 1968 | 1970 | Weekly | |
| Peoria | Bronze Informer | 1945 | 1946 | Weekly | |
| Peoria | Bronze Peoria Herald | 1964 | 1968 | Weekly | |
| Peoria | Forum | 1906 | 1915 | Weekly | |
| Peoria | Informer | 1934 | 1939 | Weekly | |
| Peoria | Peoria Whirlwind | 1962 | 1970s | Weekly | |
| Peoria | Spectator | 1955 | 1955 | Weekly | |
| Peoria | Traveler Weekly | 1968 | 1970s | Weekly | |
| Peoria | Weekly Enterprise | 1952 | 1952 | Weekly | |
| Quincy | Advocate | 1906 | ? | Weekly | |
| Quincy | Illinois Informer | 1919 (uncertain) | 1926 | Weekly | |
| Quincy | Illinois Progress | 1892 | 1900 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | Advance Citizen | 1892 | 1932 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | Argus | 1913 | 1915 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | Capital City Courier | 2005 or 2006 | current | Monthly newspaper | Official site |
| Springfield | Capitol City News | 1942 | 1951 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | Chronicle | 1917 | 1917 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | Community Echo | 1950s | ? | | Published by Lottie Bridgewater. |
| Springfield | Eye | 1890 | 1893 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | Forum | 1904 | 1927 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | Illinois Chronicle | 1912 or 1917 | 1969 | Weekly or twice-monthly | Circulation of 1,200 in 1951. |
| Springfield | Illinois Conservator / Conservator-Globe | 1902 or 1905 | 1950 or after 1956 | Weekly or twice monthly | Published by Elmer Lee Rogers. Remembered for its strong advocacy in the aftermath of the Springfield race riot of 1908. Circulation of 3,500 in 1951. |
| Springfield | Illinois Record | 1897 | 1899 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | Illinois State Informer | 1935 | ? | Weekly | Founded by Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew. Continued through at least 1938. |
| Springfield | Illinois State Messenger | 1897 | 1900 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | Leader | 1902 | 1918 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | Messenger | 1888 | 1889 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | National Standard Enterprise | 1894 | 1903 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | Negro Democrat | 1934 | 1936 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | PURE NEWS USA | 1983 | current | Monthly newspaper | National circulation. Official site |
| Springfield | Spirit of Black Springfield | 1968 | 1968 | Weekly | |
| Springfield | Springfield's Voice | 1973 | current | Weekly | official site |
| Springfield | The State Capital | 1886 | 1915 or 1910 | Weekly | Edited in early 1890s by Sheadrick Bond Turner. In 1891 Irvine Garland Penn judged The State Capital the "leading organ of the race, west of the Ohio River". Available online |
| Springfield | Voice of the Black Community | 1972 or 1973 | 2000 | Weekly | Springfield edition of the Decatur Voice. |

## Southern Illinois

Southern Illinois or "Little Egypt" is the southern third of Illinois, and is the state's least populous region. Much of the population is concentrated in Metro East, a five-county region across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. The state's first African American newspaper was established in Southern Illinois' southernmost town, Cairo, in 1862.
| City | Title | Beginning | End | Frequency | Remarks |
| Alton | Advance Citizen | 1892 | 1932 | Weekly | One of a chain of five Advance Citizen papers published across central Illinois from 1892 to 1932 by Harvey T. Bowman. |
| Brooklyn | Monitor | 1886 | 19th century | Weekly | |
| Cairo | American | 1905 | 1906 | Weekly | |
| Cairo | Baptist Truth | 1894 | 1924 | Weekly | |
| Cairo | Illinois Messenger | 1925 | 1933 | Weekly | |
| Cairo | Cairo News / United Front News | 1971 (uncertain) | ? | Weekly | Edited by Preston Ewing. Key vehicle for disseminating information during the fight against discrimination in Cairo. |
| Cairo | Sentinel | 1890 | 1895 | Weekly | |
| Cairo | Three States | 1881 | 1883 | Weekly | |
| Cairo | Weekly Gazette | 1862 | 1890 | Weekly / Daily (1882) | First African American newspaper in Illinois. 1882 daily edition was first daily African American newspaper in the United States. Published by William S. Scott. |
| East St. Louis | Advance Citizen | 1892 | 1932 | Weekly | |
| East St. Louis | Beacon | 1960s | ? | Weekly | |
| East St. Louis | The Crusader | 1941 or 1943 | ? | Weekly | Circulation of 7000 in 1966. |
| East St. Louis | East Side Monitor | 1970 | 1970s | Weekly | |
| East St. Louis | Empire Weekly News | 1960s | 1970s | Weekly | |
| East St. Louis | Forum | 1928 | 1929 | Weekly | |
| East St. Louis | Monitor | 1962 or 1963 | current | Weekly | official site |
| East St. Louis | Negro Democrat / Spotlight | 1933 | ? | Weekly | Official newspaper of the Downstate Negro Democratic League. Extant through at least 1942. |
| East St. Louis | Sentinel | 1904 | 1909 | Weekly | |
| East St. Louis | Southern Illinois Press | 1922 | 1924 | Weekly | |
| East St. Louis | Tri State Tribune | ? | ? | Weekly | |
| Metropolis | Christian Anchor | ? | ? | Weekly; monthly in 1912 | Religious topics |
| Metropolis | The Metropolis Gazette / Metropolis Weekly Gazette | 1897 or 1898 | 1938 | Weekly | |
| Mound City | Egyptian Sun | 1924 | 1940 | Weekly | |
| Mound City | Star | 1908 | 1925 | Weekly | |