The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1938-10-28
''Some Aspects Of Negro
Newspapers By Claude
Barnett On Wings Over
Jordan Broadcast

iOKS NOTE:-Due to nop-
war request, we have made "a.
- -'A.s of the address made by Mr..
barnett ON Wings Over JORDAN
sunday, October l6. As you NAV
know, aside from being founda~
and director Of the Associated Ne.
gro Press, MIR. Barnett i. I graau.
ate Of Tuskegee Institute and :
member Of its board of trustees. as
Well az co-founder of the Ch;caso
iuskegee club. He is president of
rrovident hospitals trustee board.
as Well az member of the board
OF directors of the Council Of So
ciAl Agencies of Chicago; a mem
Der of the executive committee Of
the Health Council of Social Asen-
cses, and a member of the board Of
directors of the Chicago Recrea-
tion commission.
There are two forces foremost
IN the development of the econom-
ic, social and spiritual life Of the
twelve million Negroes living in
the United States. These are the
Negro church and the Negro news
paper. The church, by virtue Of its
intimate and direct approach and
ITS long and effective service,
stands first. Next in influence and
Importance is the newspaper.
To those not familiar with our
racial life, the extent and scope of
this section of the country's press,
edited and printed by colored peo-
pie for colored people, may be
surprising: for it forms the largest
purely class group of publicati-
ons being produced by any one ra-
cial minority in America. The jew
lsh group of some 70 papers is
next.
There are Nero than 300 publi-
cations of various types published
by Negroes. Roughly about $50 are
secular newspapers, issued weekly
The others are magazines, religious,
fraternal or educational publicati-
ons devoted to some special cause.
There is one daily, published in
Atlanta, Ga.
What has brought about the
need for these separate papers?
What is their function?
There are twelve million black
citizens in the United States who
live what might be termed dual
existance-a circumstance develops
as a result of color and race. This
great multitude lives and thinks
first as Americans hut, faced on
every hand by disadvantages, based
chiefly on color, they look out upon
the world through a glass darkly
always forced to consider it's fol-
bles and activities from another
viewpoint, that of Negro Americans
as well.
The daily papers which chronicle
the worlds happenings rarely give
space to the achievements and
progress being made by these dark
er Americans-who live so often
apart-segregat if not uncon-
sidered. Custom has decreed that the
principal space devoted by the gen
eral news sections of daily news
papers Co the doings of Negroes
shall be given over to reports OF
either crime or comedy. That is
why so many people regard most
Negroes either as criminally IN
clined or as simply funny. This be.
lief springs from the type Of news
which. is constantly served them.
mi order, therefore, to lealf
what constructive developments arr
going on among his own people
i'm order to get viewpoint Of ma
tional and World events as they
NAV affect his own particular ant
proscribed environment, the Negro
reads first the dailies for their gen
eral information, and then thes
special publications which make
business of reporting the economic
social, religious, sporting and poiit
100, affairs of the world as they &C
cur in relation to this somewha
separate existence which he !
forced to live.
These papers are not by an,
means, of course, new develop
ment. 1t was III years ago, bac
in 1927, when Samuel E. Cornis
and John B. Russworm began tn
publication of "Freedom's Journal.
"The Weekly Advocate ssDavi
Walkers Appeal" "The Rams
Horn" and other early publication
which appeared at intervals durin
the next 90 years, bore little rt
semblance to the newspapers of t.
day. They were almost solely o.
gans OF propaganda and protes
Published in the North, they fougF
against the institution Of slavef
which then had shackled most {
the million black people living
the South.
One Of the most widely read pi
49, oo..3 Naxve xuaa faJst