List of African-American newspapers in Wisconsin

This is a list of African-American newspapers that have been published in Wisconsin. It includes both current and historical newspapers.

Front page of the Wisconsin Weekly Blade from June 1916.

Inaugural issue of the Wisconsin Labor Advocate, August 1886.

The total number of African Americans in Wisconsin prior to 1900 was less than 1,000, and the growth of Wisconsin's African-American newspapers was commensurately delayed.[1]

The first such newspaper in Wisconsin is generally considered to be the Wisconsin Afro-American, which George A. Brown and Thomas H. Jones launched in 1892.[2][3] The status of the Wisconsin Afro-American as a genuine African-American newspaper has been disputed, however.[4] In that case, the first such paper in Wisconsin would be the Wisconsin Weekly Advocate, launched in 1898.[4]

The first newspaper published by an African American in Wisconsin was launched several years before either of these: George Edwin Taylor published the Wisconsin Labor Advocate for workers of all races from 1886 to 1887.[5]

Notable African-American newspapers in Wisconsin today include The Madison Times, The Milwaukee Courier, The Milwaukee Times, and The Milwaukee Community Journal.

Newspapers

City	Title	Beginning	End	Frequency	Call numbers	Remarks
Beloit	Beloit Chronicle	1981[6]	1982[6]	Irregular[6]	LCCN sn85041090 OCLC 12339834	Billed as "Beloit's only minority newspaper."[6] Also served nearby Rockford, Illinois.[6] Published by Eugene Relerford.[6]
Beloit	Soul City Courier	1976[7]	?[7]	Biweekly[7]	ISSN 2639-3506, 2639-3492 LCCN 2014254330, sn85041151 OCLC 664611394, 12545129	Extant through at least 1977.[7]
Gratiot	The Gratiot Reporter	1903[8]	1915[8]	Weekly[8]	ISSN 2574-7843 LCCN sn84024844 OCLC 11383996
Green Bay	Green Bay Spectator	1851[9]	1852[9]	Weekly[9]	ISSN 2574-7835 LCCN sn84025597 OCLC 11424007
La Crosse	Wisconsin Labor Advocate	1886[10]	1888[10]	Weekly[10]	ISSN 2640-5830 LCCN 2013254378, 2017235084 OCLC 60494645, 10645340	Free online archive
Madison	Mid-West Observer	1980[11]	1980?[11]	Monthly newspaper[11]	OCLC 12068465	Published by Glenn E. Sturgis.[11]
Madison	The Madison Sun	1966[12]	1966[12]	Twice monthly[12]	LCCN sn84025849 OCLC 10437852	Published by Lawrence Saunders.[13]
Madison	The Madison Times	1990[14]	current	Weekly[14]	LCCN sn89080089 OCLC 22615221	Official site Published and edited by Betty Franklin Hammonds.[15]
Madison	Wisconsin Free Press	1984[16]	?[16]	Twice monthly[17] or biweekly[16]	LCCN 2013254377 OCLC 850973708, 16969188
remarks = Extant through at least 1990.[17] }}
Madison	The Wisconsin Weekly Blade	1916[18]	1925[18] or 1922[19]	Weekly[18]	LCCN sn84025842 OCLC 10462416	Free online archive
Milwaukee	The Beacon	1953[19]	1953[20]	Weekly[20]	OCLC 35979157	Published by Lawrence Saunders.[20] Continued as The Rocket.[19]
Milwaukee / Beloit	Chronicle / Beloit Chronicle	1981[21]		Irregular[21]	LCCN sn85041090, sn85041091 OCLC 12339834, 12339909
Milwaukee	The Communicator News	1984[22]	[22]	Weekly[22]	LCCN sn88086016 OCLC 17448535
Milwaukee	The Milwaukee Community Journal	1975[23]	current	Twice weekly or weekly[23]	LCCN sn84025860 OCLC 8124770	Official site Published by Patricia O’Flynn Thomas.[23]
Milwaukee	The Milwaukee Community Journal: Daily City Edition	1987[24]	1989[24]	Daily (except weekends and holidays)[24]	OCLC 25644557	Published by Patricia O’Flynn Thomas.[23]
Milwaukee	Milwaukee Courier	1964[25]	current	Weekly[25]	ISSN 0026-4350 LCCN sn78005245 OCLC 4166496	Official site
Milwaukee	The Milwaukee Defender	1956[26] or 1957[19]	1960[27]	Weekly[26]	LCCN 2013254319, sn89080118 OCLC 664611321, 26998090	Published by Mary Ellen Shadd.[26] Milwaukee affiliate of the Chicago Defender.[26] Attacked and "literally run out of town" by Milwaukee's white business community in retaliation for its militant reporting.[28]
Milwaukee	The Milwaukee Gazette	1960[29]	1961[30]	Weekly[29]	LCCN sn84025848 OCLC 10437772	"A nonpartisan paper for all the people."[29] Published by LeRoy G. White[29]
Milwaukee	The Milwaukee Globe	1945[31] or 1948[19]	1949[19]	Weekly[31]	LCCN sn84025847 OCLC 10435818	Edited by L. J. Saunders.[31]
Milwaukee	National Defender And Sun	1905[32]	1923[32]	Weekly[32]	LCCN sn83025598 OCLC 9647337	Moved to Gary, Indiana in 1910s.[33]
Milwaukee	The Northwest 76er / MCJ Northwest 76er	1989?[34] or 1990[35]	?[34]	Weekly[34]	LCCN sn89080070 OCLC 22444064	Published by Patricia O’Flynn Thomas.[34] Subsidiary of Milwaukee Community Journal
Milwaukee	The Northwestern Recorder	1892[36]	1893[36]	Monthly newspaper, weekly from August 1892 to January 1893[36]	LCCN sn84025844, sn84025845 OCLC 10435733, 2776073, 10435741, 2771151	Succeeded by Wisconsin Afro-American.[37]
Milwaukee	Racine Courier / Racine Star (1971–1972) / Racine Star News (1970–1971) / Racine Star Times (1972–1976)	1970[38] or 1976[39]	1992[39]	Monthly[38] or weekly[39]	LCCN 2014254307, sn84025858, sn84025859, sn84025850, sn84025851 OCLC 10470013, 10469986, 10462475	Published in Milwaukee but serving the Racine-Kenosha area.[40] "A division of the Racine Star Times, Inc."[39]
Milwaukee	The Rocket	1953[41]	1953[19]	Weekly[41]	OCLC 35979236
Milwaukee	The Milwaukee Sepian	1951[42]	1951[42]	Weekly[42]	LCCN sn84025846 OCLC 10435777	Edited by Hosea N. Doxey.[43]
Milwaukee	Soul City Times	1968[44]	1971[44]	Weekly[44]	ISSN 2644-187X, 2644-1888 LCCN 2014254329, 2019201081 OCLC 664611395, 37459048	Merged into The Milwaukee Star.[44]
Milwaukee	The Milwaukee Star (1963–1968, 1976–2005)[19] / Greater Milwaukee Star / Your Greater Milwaukee Star / Milwaukee Star-Times (1971–1976)[45]	1961[46]	2005[19]	Weekly[46]	LCCN sn84025853, sn84025854, sn84025855, sn84025856, sn84025857 OCLC 10470051, 10470035, 10470032, 10470029, 6706692	The Star Times name of the 1970s reflected the absorption of the Soul City Times.[19]
Milwaukee	The Milwaukee Times	1981[47]	current	Weekly[47]	OCLC 14402172	Official site
Milwaukee	Wisconsin Afro-American	1892[48]	1892[48]	Weekly[48]	ISSN 2643-3818, 2643-3826 LCCN 2013254375, sn84025844 OCLC 665098926, 10435733	Reported closely on the activity of William T. Green as delegate to the state Republican convention.[49] Status as an African-American newspaper is disputed.[4]
Milwaukee	Wisconsin Enterprise-Blade / Wisconsin Weekly Blade (1916–1922)[19]	1916[50]	1943?[50]	Weekly[50]	LCCN sn84025843 OCLC 10462422
Milwaukee	The Wisconsin Weekly Advocate	1898[51]	1915[52]	Weekly[51]	LCCN 2013254379, sn84025861 OCLC 850981728, 10509898, 2775259	Extant through at least 1907.[51]
Racine	The Communicator News	1984[53]	2013?	Bimonthly newspaper[53]	LCCN sn88086016 OCLC 17448535	Official site "Serving Racine, Kenosha and the North Shore communities."[53]
Racine	The Racine Community Chronicle	1989[54]	?	Biweekly[54]	OCLC 27859307
Racine	The Racine Insider News	1992[55]		Bimonthly newspaper[55]		Published by Kenneth Lumpkin.[55] Extant through at least 1995.[55]
Racine	Racine Star News	1970[56]	1971[56]	Weekly[56]	LCCN 2013254308 OCLC 844235537
Racine	Racine Star	1971[57]	1972[57]	Weekly[57]	LCCN 2013254307 OCLC 844223253	"Supplement to the Greater Milwaukee Star serving the Racine-Kenosha area."[57]

See also

• List of African-American newspapers and media outlets
• List of African-American newspapers in Illinois
• List of African-American newspapers in Iowa
• List of African-American newspapers in Michigan
• List of African-American newspapers in Minnesota
• List of newspapers in Wisconsin

Works cited

• Danky, James Philip; Hady, Maureen E., eds. (1998). African-American newspapers and periodicals : a national bibliography. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674007888.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• McBride, Genevieve G. (1996). Suggs, Henry Lewis (ed.). The Progress of "Race Men" and "Colored Women" in the Black Press in Wisconsin, 1892-1985. Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313255793.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Pride, Armistead Scott; Wilson, Clint C. (1997). A History of the Black Press. Howard University Press. ISBN 9780882581927.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Smith, Jessie Carney (2012). Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9781578593699.

References

1. McBride 1996, p. 329.
2. Smith 2012, p. 409.
3. Pride & Wilson 1997, p. 105.
4. "African-American Media". Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
5. "Wisconsin Labor Advocate Newspaper". Recollection Wisconsin. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
6. "About Beloit chronicle. [volume] (Beloit, Wis.) 1981-1982". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
7. "About Soul city courier. [online resource] (Beloit, Wis.) 1976-19??". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
8. "About The Gratiot reporter. [volume] (Gratiot, Wis.) 1903-1915". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
9. "About Green Bay spectator. [volume] (Green Bay, Brown County Wisconsin) 1851-1852". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
10. "About Wisconsin labor advocate. [online resource] (La Crosse, Wis.) 1886-1888". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
11. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 364, ¶ 3805.
12. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 349, ¶ 3658.
13. "About The Madison sun. [volume] (Madison, Wis.) 1966-19??". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
14. "About The Madison times. (Madison, Wis.) 1990-current". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
15. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 349, ¶ 3659.
16. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 618, ¶ 6454.
17. "About Wisconsin free press. [online resource] (Madison, WI) 1984-current". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
18. "About The Wisconsin weekly blade. [volume] (Madison, Wis.) 1916-1925". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
19. "Milwaukee African American Newspapers and Magazines available at Milwaukee Public Library, 1916 to present" (PDF). Milwaukee Public Library. 2016. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
20. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 64, ¶ 656.
21. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 152, ¶ 1577.
22. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 167, ¶ 1742.
23. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 365, ¶ 3814.
24. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 365, ¶ 3815.
25. "About Milwaukee courier. [volume] (Milwaukee, Wis.) 1964-current". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
26. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 365, ¶ 3817.
27. McBride 1996, p. 340.
28. Lovejoy, Steve (2003-04-30). "Of Jerrel Jones, and his split with Gary George". The Journal Times. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
29. "About The Milwaukee gazette. [volume] (Milwaukee, Wis.) 1960-????". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
30. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 365, ¶ 3818.
31. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 365, ¶ 3819.
32. "About National defender and sun. (Gary, Ind. ;) 1905-1923". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
33. Bigham, Darrel E. (1996). "The Black Press in Indiana, 1879-1985". In Suggs, Henry Lewis (ed.). The Black Press in the Middle West, 1865-1985. Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313255793.
34. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 431, ¶ 4488.
35. "About The Northwest 76er. (Milwaukee, Wis.) 1990-current". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
36. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 432, ¶ 4501.
37. "About The Northwestern recorder. [online resource] (Milwaukee, Wis.) 1892-1893". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
38. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 482, ¶ 5023.
39. "About The Racine courier. [online resource] (Milwaukee, Wis.) 1976-1992". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
40. "About The Racine star times. [volume] (Milwaukee, Wis.) 1971-1976". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
41. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 496, ¶ 5172.
42. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 365, ¶ 3820.
43. "About The Milwaukee sepian. [volume] (Milwaukee, Wis.) 1951-????". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
44. "About Soul city times. [online resource] (Milwaukee, Wis.) 1968-1971". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
45. "About The Milwaukee star-times. [online resource] (Milwaukee, Wis.) 1971-1976". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
46. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 365, ¶ 3821.
47. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 366, ¶ 3822.
48. "About Wisconsin Afro-American. [online resource] (Milwaukee) 1892-1892". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
49. Fishel, Leslie H., Jr. (1966). "The Genesis of the First Wisconsin Civil Rights Act". The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 49 (4): 324–333. JSTOR 4634176.
50. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 617, ¶ 6452.
51. "About The Wisconsin weekly advocate. [online resource] (Milwaukee, Wis.) 1898-19??". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
52. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 618, ¶ 6455.
53. "About The Communicator news. (Racine, Wis.) 1984-current". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
54. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 482, ¶ 5022.
55. Danky & Hady 1998, p. 482, ¶ 5024.
56. "About Racine star news. [online resource] (Racine, Wis.) 1970-1971". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
57. "About Racine star. [online resource] (Racine, Wis.) 1971-1972". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-13.