The year 1827 saw the first African American owned and operated newspaper called Freedom’s Journal, which operated out of New York. The paper was founded by Rev. Peter Williams, Jr., and other free black men, with John Russwurm and Samuel Cornish working as senior and junior editors respectively.
Despite its mere two-year life span, Freedom’s Journal had a profound impact. Its aim was to discuss issues that mattered to the black community and counter the racist commentary of mainstream media. According to Black Past, a subscription to the Journal cost $3 per year and, at its peak, it circulated in 11 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Haiti, and parts of Europe and Canada.
From PBS:
Freedom’s Journal provided its readers with regional, national, and international news and with news that could serve to both entertain and educate. It sought to improve conditions for the over 300,000 newly freed black men and women living in the North. …