Cecil Newman and the Minneapolis Spokesman: African-American Journalism, History, and Culture in Minnesota, 1885-1985
In 1885, the first newspaper for African Americans was founded in Minnesota. Over the next several decades, black newspapers were established across the state, providing a voice for the African American community during an era when mainstream newspapers provided little coverage of minority communities.
In 1934, in the midst of the Great Depression, a young journalist named Cecil Newman established the Minneapolis Spokesman. The newspaper would go on to chronicle successes in the black community, document incidents of racism, and publish editorials that provided inspiration and advice to generations of African Americans in Minneapolis.
Cecil Newman and the Minneapolis Spokesman details the black experience in Minnesota, from the Civil War and through the two World Wars, the Great Depression, the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and the decades after. The book documents the history of black newspapers in Minnesota, as well as the rise of the Minneapolis Spokesman and the extraordinary role Cecil Newman played in the African American community as the editor of the city's leading black newspaper.
Cecil Newman and the Minneapolis Spokesman is available on Amazon.
