Black history month 2023

Ida B. Wells

February is traditionally black history month, and it’s time to recall that one of the most  significant moments in the history of the American press involves the long, ongoing struggle for civil rights in the Black press and the resistance from  the White / mainstream press against civil rights, which only gradually changed in the post World War II era.

There are two stories. Part I is the story of the African American / Black press —  the  mainstay of the long movement for equality.  Part II is the story of  the White / mainstream press reluctantly awakening to its responsibilities.   

The Black press “was the signal corps,” wrote Margot Lee Shetterly, author of  Hidden Figures, “giving the watchword so that the negro community moved forward in synch with America.”    

Read more: “Civil Rights and the Press” here, at Revolutions in Communication.