Pittsburgh Courier

The Pittsburgh Courier was an African American newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1910 until October 22, 1966. It was the most widely circulated newspaper in America for black Americans.

At its peak, the widely read paper boasted a national circulation of around 450,000 with over 400 employees in 14 cities. The Courier set the tone on major issues impacting the African-American community around the nation. It campaigned against segregation and poverty, and promoted the social advancement of blacks.

In the 1930s, the Courier urged Black voters to "turn Lincoln's picture to the wall" and vote Democrat, creating a political alliance that endures to this day.

Some famous contributors to the Courier were Joel Augustus Rogers, who worked as a journalist for the Courier in the 1920s, and Sam Milai, editorial cartoonist for the Courier for 33 years. The Courier was the first to spot the talent of a young William Gardner Smith, who was hired by the Courier while still in high school. This was in 1943, some years before he gained fame as an expatriate novelist and journalist living in France.

In 1965, the Courier went into bankruptcy and ceased publishing in 1966.

New Pittsburgh Courier

Following the closure of the original Pittsburgh Courier, its assets were acquired in 1966 by John H. Sengstacke, who re-opened it as the New Pittsburgh Courier, intended to carry on in the tradition of the original Courier.

References

• "The Pittsburgh Courier'". The Black Press. PBS. 2004. Retrieved 2005-07-24. 
• "Pittsburgh Courier Honored As Most Influential Black Newspaper In U.S.". E&P. 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-14. 

External links

• New Pittsburgh Courier Online
• Finding aid to the Percival L. Prattis Papers, executive editor of the Pittsburgh Courier, at the Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
• Finding aid to the Frank E. Bolden Papers, reporter and city editor of the Pittsburgh Courier, the Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh