African American Publications

Jim Crow and the Early Civil Rights Period

Georgia's Black press began after the Civil War; yet, today, only a handful of Georgia Black newspapers continue to publish, and few historical titles have been preserved. The Black press challenged racism and the White press’ belittling narratives. By contrast, the White press, entangled with segregationist power brokers, stirred up anti-Black violence, published racist propaganda, and dehumanized Black Americans. To fully understand the lives of Black Georgians at this time, it is essential to study the output of both Black and White journalists. Ranging from 1875 to 1963, and heavily centered on Savannah, the titles in this grouping offer the Black press' perspectives during the end of Reconstruction through to the early Civil Rights Movement.

New Georgia Encyclopedia Resources

• "Civil Rights Movement [in Georgia]"

• "Segregation"

• "Albany Movement"

• "Americus Movement"

• "Savannah Tribune"

Applicable Education Standards

• Disenfranchisement of Georgia's Black citizens, and the effects of Jim Crow laws and practices (SS4H6)

• The changing role of Blacks during World War II (SS5H4)

• Analyze the effects of Jim Crow laws and practices (SS5H6)

• Analyze the impact of Reconstruction on Georgia (SS8H6)

• Analyze how rights were denied to African Americans or Blacks through Jim Crow laws, Plessy v. Ferguson, disenfranchisement, and racial violence, including the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre (SS8H7)

• Explain the roles of Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. DuBois, and Alonzo Herndon in advancement of the rights of African Americans or Blacks in the New South Era (SS8H7)

• Evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement (SS8H11)

Online Exhibit Possibilities

• The Black Press During the Jim Crow Era

• The Civil Rights Movement in South Georgia

Potential Titles

• Savannah Tribune, Chatham County (1875-1943, 44 reels, weekly, ~18.9k pages)

• Savannah Sentinel, Chatham County (1962, 1 single-issue reel, 4 pages)

• The Herald, Chatham County (1946-1963, 5 reels, weekly, 8.1k pages)

• The Savannah Banner, Chatham County (1963, 2 incomplete reels, 45 pages)

• Atlanta Inquirer, Fulton County (1960-1963, 3 reels, weekly, 3k pages)

• Weekly Defiance, Fulton County (1885, 1 reel, 13 pages)

• Atlanta Daily World, Fulton County (1931-1963, 84 service-copy reels, ~81k pages)

• Darien Spectator, McIntosh County (1897, 1 reel, 8 pages)