The Afro-American Press and Its Editors
Afro-American Press and Its Editors is a book published in 1891 written by Irvine Garland Penn. Penn covers African-American newspapers and magazines published between 1827 and 1891. The book covers many aspects of journalism, and devotes a chapter to black female journalists. Penn believed that the black press played a crucial role in presenting the case to the broader American population that black people were fit for the full benefits of citizenship. The book is frequently referenced as an important early work on African-American journalism. John Ernest called Penn's  book comprehensive and detailed and the foundation of many later studies. Penn wrote in part to encourage blacks to support black papers. Charles A. Simmons writes that Penn's book along with Armistead S. Prides, "A Register and History of Negro Newspapers in the United States: 1827–1950" and Warren Brown's "Check List of Negro Newspapers in the United States (1827-1946)" are essential starting points for understanding the early history of African American newspapers.