List of African American newspapers in Delaware

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

William Howard Day, editor of Our National Progress.
Front page of The Advance of Wilmington from September 22, 1900, with endorsements in national, state and local races.
Alice Dunbar Nelson, co-owner and publisher of the Wilmington Advocate.

The first known African American newspaper published in Delaware was Our National Progress, which from 1869 to 1875 was published simultaneously in Wilmington and other cities in the Mid-Atlantic states,[1] and was "viewed by some as the only national Black paper in the corridor between Washington and New York."[2] Other notable Delaware papers include The Advance (1899–1901),[3] and the Wilmington Advocate, which noted poet and journalist Alice Dunbar Nelson operated from 1920 to 1922.[4]

The majority of such newspapers have been published in Wilmington, the state's capital. However, for much of its history Wilmington's African American population was too small to support even one such newspaper at a time.[5] Irvine Garland Penn, who tabulated the African American newspapers in circulation in 1880 and 1890 in The Afro-American Press and Its Editors, did not list a single Delaware newspaper for either year.[6] For much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries when no African American paper operated, news of the community was shared in a column in one of Wilmington's white weeklies, the Sunday Morning Star.[5]

Newspapers

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City Title Beginning End Frequency Call numbers Remarks


Dover People's Beacon 1945[7] ?[7] Irregular[7]
  • LCCN sn88053145
  • OCLC 18868801
  • Published by the Delaware People's League.[7]
New Castle Delaware Observer 1968[8] 1988?[8] Monthly newspaper[8]
New Castle North Star 1981[9] ?[9] Monthly[9]
Wilmington The Advance 1899[3] 1901[10] Weekly[10]
Wilmington Wilmington Advocate 1920[4] 1922[4] Weekly[11]
Wilmington Arrow 1958[13] 1960?[13] Monthly newspaper[13]
Wilmington The Defender (1965–1967)[15] /
The Delaware Defender (1962–1965)[16] /
The Delaware Valley Defender (1967–1980s)[17]
1962[14] 1985?[14] Weekly[14]
Wilmington The Delaware Reporter 1940[18] ?[18] Weekly[18]
  • Published by J. Alexis DuBois.[18]
  • Billed as “Delaware’s only Negro newspaper.”[18]
Wilmington The Delaware Spectator 1972[19] 1976[19] Weekly[19]
  • Approximately 10% in Spanish.[19]
Wilmington The Delaware Star (1976–1978)[21] /
The Delaware Valley Star (1978–1984)[22]
1976[20] 1984[20] Monthly 1976–1978; biweekly, 1978–1980; weekly, 1980–1984[20]
Wilmington Focus 1930[23] ?[23] Weekly[23]
  • Billed as “Delaware’s only Negro newspaper.”[23]
Wilmington Front Page 1944[24] ?[24] Weekly[24]
Wilmington Wilmington Herald Times 1941[25] ?[25] Weekly[25]
Wilmington Our National Progress 1869[1] 1875?[1] Weekly[1]
Wilmington The People’s Pulse 1968[28] 1970[28] Monthly[28]
  • Published by Peoples Settlement Association & United Neighbors for Progress Publications.[29]
Wilmington The Sower: A Christian Newspaper 1984[30] ?[30] Monthly newspaper[30]
  • Published and edited by Ralph Morris.[30]
Wilmington Twilight 1890s Weekly[31]

See also

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Works cited

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "About Our national progress. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1869-1875". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  2. ^ Dalleo 2014, p. 169.
  3. ^ a b "About The advance. [online resource] (Wilmington, Del.) 1899-19??". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  4. ^ a b c d Patton & Honey 2001, p. 145.
  5. ^ a b Woolard-Provine, Annette (2003). Integrating Delaware: The Reddings of Wilmington. University of Delaware Press. p. 35. ISBN 9780874137842.
  6. ^ Penn 1891, p. 114.
  7. ^ a b c d "About People's beacon. (Dover, Del.) 1945-19??". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  8. ^ a b c Danky & Hady 1998, p. 189, ¶ 1969.
  9. ^ a b c Danky & Hady 1998, p. 430, ¶ 4474.
  10. ^ a b Danky & Hady 1998, p. 8, ¶ 84.
  11. ^ James, Edward T.; James, Janet Wilson; Boyer, Paul S. (1971). Notable American Women, 1607-1950: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume 2. Harvard University Press. p. 615. ISBN 9780674627345.
  12. ^ "Alice Dunbar-Nelson and the Wilmington Advocate". University of Delaware Special Collections. 2014-10-25. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  13. ^ a b c Danky & Hady 1998, p. 49, ¶ 505.
  14. ^ a b c Danky & Hady 1998, p. 190, ¶ 1972.
  15. ^ "About The Defender. (Wilmington, Del.) 1965-1967". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  16. ^ "About The Delaware defender. (Wilmington, Del.) 1962-1965". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  17. ^ "About The Delaware Valley defender. (Wilmington, Del.) 1967-198?". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  18. ^ a b c d e Danky & Hady 1998, p. 189, ¶ 1970.
  19. ^ a b c d Danky & Hady 1998, p. 190, ¶ 1971.
  20. ^ a b c Danky & Hady 1998, p. 190, ¶ 1974.
  21. ^ "About The Delaware star. (Wilmington, Del.) 1976-1978". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  22. ^ "About The Delaware Valley star. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1978-1984". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  23. ^ a b c d Danky & Hady 1998, p. 231, ¶ 2416.
  24. ^ a b c Danky & Hady 1998, p. 243, ¶ 2542.
  25. ^ a b c "About Wilmington herald times. (Wilmington, Del.) 1941-19??". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  26. ^ Penn 1891, p. 110.
  27. ^ Dalleo 2014, p. 175.
  28. ^ a b c Danky & Hady 1998, p. 460, ¶ 4793.
  29. ^ "About The People's pulse. (Wilmington, Dela.) 1968-1970". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  30. ^ a b c d Danky & Hady 1998, p. 532, ¶ 5552.
  31. ^ Afro-American Encyclopedia: Or, the Thoughts, Doings, and Sayings of the Race. Haley & Florida. 1895. p. 131.