VOICES: Why Black Media Matters

Our newspapers let america to talk to our ain communities connected our ain presumption with our ain voices.

“We privation to plead our ain cause. Too agelong person others spoken for us.” That was portion of the inaugural editorial penned by Samuel Cornish and John Russwurm successful Freedom’s Journal, the archetypal Black paper successful the United States.  

Recently the Black Media Initiative of the Center for Community Media astatine the City University of New York’s (CUNY) Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism released a study, Why Black Media Matters Now.

In 1827 erstwhile Cornish and Russwurm founded Freedom’s Journal, our region was successful a clip of turmoil. There were implicit 2,000,000 slaves and little than 300,000 free Blacks. The Black colonisation had nary dependable of its own, truthful these escaped men spoke up and spoke out. Fast guardant astir 2 100 years, and the representatives from hundreds of Black media outlets inactive heed that telephone to “Plead our ain cause.”  

Black Publishers Have been successful the trenches with the assemblage and spoken retired for the community. This survey conscionable highlights what we person been saying for decades and puts scholarly attribution down what helium has ever known. We applaud the Center for Community Media connected their work. 

The Black Press is paramount successful telling the stories of our communities. If we don’t archer it, others won’t archer it successful ways applicable to us. We can’t proceed to different talk for america an astatine us. Our newspapers let america to talk to our ain communities connected our ain presumption with our ain voices.

According to the report, erstwhile it came to the sum of the coronavirus and the disproportionate radical interaction of the pandemic, Black media wrote 5 times much stories astir the issue. They besides wrote doubly arsenic overmuch astir frontline and indispensable workers. In general, erstwhile it came to health, pandemic aside, Black media covered wellness issues that had a higher relevance to their communities than “mainstream” media did.

The Black Press has ever been determination for the community. Telling the stories nary 1 other could tell. However, it was not until the 1950s and 60’s that Black reporters covered contention successful immoderate signifier oregon manner for mainstream newspapers. And arsenic my begetter would archer maine erstwhile I archetypal started moving for the Amsterdam News successful 1994, the lone crushed they fto them screen contention was one, due to the fact that the achromatic reporters didn’t privation to bash it, and two, it was excessively dangerous. He continued to archer maine that successful immoderate cases, the transcript lad was sent retired into the riots to screen them due to the fact that that would beryllium the lone Black idiosyncratic they had connected the editorial staff.

While those times person changed to immoderate extent, the information is determination are inactive acold excessively fewer radical of colour successful the seats of powerfulness successful mainstream media. The Black Press is simply a important portion of the community. Black-owned, black-run, it employs, it trains, it uplifts, and it inspires. So galore of the starring journalists of our clip started disconnected astatine Black newspapers crossed this country, and determination they learned the community’s humanity.

 The Black property has been captious successful the question of Black people. It has helped animate change, provided hope, and shown each sides of achromatic beingness – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. It has made mayors and taken down leaders.  It has uplifted families and raised children. It had celebrated with america and grieved arsenic well, but astir importantly, it had been with us, struggled with us. 

The Black property means something. It is essential; it indispensable beryllium supported, arsenic it has helped the communities it has served for decades.