Segregation impacted Black Americans attempting to access local goods and services, but also barred them from accessing many of the loan, investment, financing, and advertising opportinities their White counterparts enjoyed. Additionally, Black Americans couldn't always gain access to information relevant to them and their community due to segregation, and the fact that local news outlets didn't disseminate information helpful to their interests and safety.  NEWSELA authors describe how during the Progressive Era, relevant stories weren't mentioned in mainstream newspapers, so African Americans had creative solutions:  

"Black communities began publishing newspapers to show the injustices against Black people. The Black Press journalists such as William Monroe Trotter, James Weldon Johnson and Ida B. Wells all wrote about lynching and segregation. They also wrote about the importance of becoming socially and politically active.  Monthly publications were an important part of sharing Black people’s achievements. One of these publications includes The Crisis, the official magazine of the NAACP and Opportunity published by the National Urban League."

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