Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1957-04-12

| would like TO pay tribute to the
fine Job Lincoln University has Ac-
comp'tshed In turning oUt grAdu-
atss capable OF taking their places
In the communication industry OF
radio. nv and the newspaper
trade The peculiar circumstances
which resulted In the establishment
Of the Lincoln University school %
Journalism which Is now the de-
partmsRt OF Journalism. were in
fact blessing In disguise, for the
training which students received
here at lincoln. prepared them
both for Jobs on the secular week
lies and daily press. but also. and
Just as important. for positions on
the growing Negro-ccmmuniIy
press.
Ia this your school has filled a
unique need, for most OF the schools
OF journalism In the country pre-
I0re their students for Jobs on the
daily and weekly secular press al
most entirely, often without con-
sidering the class press OF supple
meutary PUBLISHING areas.
By personal experience | have
found some OF these otherwise well
trained graduates totally unprePar-
Ell for the conditions which con-
'front.' those who take Jobs on the
Negro papers, OF tor example the
labor or Jewish press.
Every journalism student here IN
this school OF elsewhere. 40 matter
what his etEuic back ground Ought
be oriented as u What he VIII find
when he Joins the STAFF Of class OF
special publications Har the NssTo
press.
Tho careful observer viii fiud
the Negro metropolitan weekly
compares often la standards. work
ing conditions aud news and odi-
turlai enterprise 90 the best rural
and small town wcokllcs, VITA the
added problems, creative oppuTtun-
tiles and challenge which ~ay cup,
Elementary media with cause TO
advocate Offers.
think u important 10 say at
this point, that tho American Press
as "A whole remains the tTscst prcss
IN the world, and that the negro
Press IS uuIqge Ia that since its APP
pvagaHCc on this continent IA the
year Of our Lord, 1879. has been
the freCst ana most challenging
segment Of the American Fourth
Estate.
when the true history Of the
American Press 10 written, II viii
be recorded, that no press ever Rc-
as the Negro Press IL viii bo re-
corded that this Frcss has shown
the finest example OF the correct
role Of rec newspapers IA a gTuw-
lHg changing social order THIS
press was one OF the influences as
"a great country suffered the ira
vail Of change from a nation. half
free, half slave, TO an era Of legal
freedom for all, and Industrial
progress Unparalleled In the history
OF man,
This Negro Press came on the
scene. as most great manifestations
OF tho human spirit, as protest
against some social injustice or
cNil--whiCh In this instance. was
the tnhumanity Of human slavery.
and the liberation Of II. b. even
those people and states that did not
even profit from IT,
Most every one OF you here to.
night who IL familiar with the his
tory OF this press recalls the story
Of the free Negro samuel Cornish,
who, becoming tired OF the printed
pro-slAvsry. anti-NeEro dIatribes
press. and unable To obtain space to
reply to the libel against the Negro
slaves, even In the same papers as
paid advertising space, decided 10
do something about the situation.
Cornish, together with John q.
husNurm, the first known u. \ Ne
gro college graduate. established
tho first Negro weekly newspaper.
50 years before Abraham Lincoln
Issued the Emancipation PToela-
nation.
Imagine, II you can. the trials
and fluctuations OF Cornish aud
llflaa ana Nhn0a KsFhA FalIIsas.I
them rtsking their skinny funds.
and their very lives 90 print news
papers, rejecting the established In
stitutton Of chRttel slavery, In
land where II had flourished over
200 years, and had become an inn
portAnt part Of the nations econ
omy
II was dangerous business IN
those days for even an American
white man 90 take W his pen In any
newspaper. to champion the anti
slavery cause. Scarcely ITO miles
from whore We at tonight an
American editor. white man, the
aainted Elijah Loyejoy paid the
supreme sacrifice for free press
An Alton m. mob burned Love
io1'a newspaper plant 20 the
ground and murdered him In tho
year % 1887. because he dared 10
human slavery.
when one realizes the dangers
faced by Journalists and writer's
Ike william Lloyd Garrison. whn
was Jailed In Baltimore Tor the
aut-sIaErry articles Ia his paper,
and VAS rUphhod lrUumsFpblT times.
the courage Of tho poorly equipped.
FueaErafE financed Negro editor ur
Published 81 the period leading 10
% tho CIvu War, can b. appreciated
and admired
Vet thee" early Negro editors
whose publications often could
scarcely Hr distinEuirha1 from
hnndrlus, or pamphlets. played an
effective rob, and carried on with
the dagh'rgl ana oftrH fearful HHp-
port ~ the free Negroes Of the
north and the white ah0iitiUrfE's
and srmpafhlESrs with the anti
slavery movement
Continued Next Week.