Various African American newspapers have been published in Indiana. The Evansville weekly Our Age , which was in circulation by 1878, is the first known African American newspaper in Indiana. [1] Alternatively, some sources assign the title of first to the Indianapolis Leader [2] or the Logansport Colored Visitor , [3] both of which were first published in August 1879.
A 1996 survey of Indiana's African American newspapers found that two-thirds were founded before the Great Migration began in 1915. [2] Only a quarter of the newspapers surveyed lasted for more than five years. [2] Despite the high rate of attrition, African American newspapers continued to be established in Indiana throughout the 20th century [2] and into the 21st.
More than half the African American newspapers in Indiana have been published in Indianapolis and Evansville. [2] In the northern part of the state, the greatest number of such newspapers have been published in Gary. [2]
The following list contains some newspapers published only on an irregular or sporadic basis, or for which no information on frequency is available. Many of these shorter-lived newspapers, particularly in the 19th century, were political broadsheets produced only in connection with a specific election.
African American newspapers published in Indiana today include the Gary Crusader , the Indianapolis Recorder , the Fort Wayne Ink Spot , and Evansville's Our Times Newspaper .
Northern Indiana is the northern third of the state, home to the industrial Calumet Region as well as small cities further east such as South Bend, Fort Wayne and Logansport.
| City | Title | Beginning | End | Frequency | Call numbers | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Chicago | The Forum | 1950 [4] | ? | Weekly [4] | ||
| East Chicago |
| 1962 [5] | 1970s | Weekly [5] |
| |
| Elkhart | Spirit Publications | 1975 [7] | ? [7] | Weekly [7] |
| |
| Fort Wayne | Coffee Break | 1960s [8] | 1960s [8] | Weekly [8] |
| |
| Fort Wayne | Frost Illustrated | 1968 [9] | 2017 [9] | Weekly [10] | ||
| Fort Wayne | Ink | 2001 [11] | 2009 [12] | Weekly | ||
| Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne Ink Spot | 2018 | current | Biweekly [13] | ||
| Fort Wayne | The Fort Wayne Observer | 1900s [14] | 1900s [14] | Weekly [14] |
| |
| Gary |
| 1927 | ? | Weekly, [16] later biweekly |
| |
| Gary | The Commonwealth | 1924 [17] | 1934 [17] | Weekly [17] | ||
| Gary | The Gary Crusader | 1961 | current | Weekly [18] |
| |
| Gary | Gary Dispatch , later Lake County Journal | 1921 [20] | 1924 [20] | Weekly [21] or irregular [20] | ||
| Gary | Gary Info | 1963 [22] | ? | Weekly [23] |
| |
| Gary | Lake County Observer | 1946 [25] | 1950 [25] | Irregular [25] | ||
| Gary | 1905 [25] | 1931 [25] or 1929 [26] | Weekly [25] |
| ||
| Logansport | The Colored Visitor | 1879 [28] | 1879 [28] | Twice monthly [28] or irregular [25] | ||
| Marion | Community Express | 1980 [29] | 1981 (uncertain) [29] | Weekly [29] |
| |
| South Bend | South Bend Forum | 1923 [31] | 1900s [31] | Weekly [31] | ||
| South Bend | South Bend Herald-Times | 1950s [32] | 1900s [32] | |||
| South Bend | South Bend Journal | 1928 [33] | ? | Weekly [33] |
| |
| South Bend | The Reformer | 1967 [34] | 1971 | Weekly | ||
| South Bend | Observer | 1913 [25] |
Central Indiana takes up the central third of the state, including the state capital Indianapolis as well as numerous small cities including Anderson, Muncie and Terre Haute.
| City | Title | Beginning | End | Frequency | Call numbers | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson | The Shining Star | 1922 [35] | 1927 (uncertain) [18] | Weekly [35] [36] or irregular [18] | ||
| Indianapolis | The Anthem | 1991 [37] | ? | Weekly [37] | ||
| Indianapolis | Argus | 1886 [25] | 1887 [25] | |||
| Indianapolis | Black Focus Newsweekly | 1996 [38] | ? | Weekly [38] | ||
| Indianapolis | Courier | 1893 [25] | 1890s [25] | |||
| Indianapolis | Indianapolis Freeman | 1884 [39] or 1888 [40] | 1926 [41] | Weekly |
| |
| Indianapolis |
| 1949 [37] | 2010s [46] | Weekly [25] |
| |
| Indianapolis | Indy Word | 1989 [47] | ? [47] | 14 times a year [47] | ||
| Indianapolis | Indianapolis Leader | 1879 | 1890 | Weekly |
| |
| Indianapolis | Indianapolis Ledger | 1912 [49] or 1913 [25] | 1921? [50] or 1925? [25] | Weekly [25] | ||
| Indianapolis |
| 1943 [52] | 1947? [53] | Weekly [49] | ||
| Indianapolis | Indianapolis Recorder | 1896 [25] or 1897 [54] | current | Weekly [25] |
| |
| Indianapolis | Indianapolis Daily Standard | 1922 [55] | ||||
| Indianapolis | Urban Times | 1996 (uncertain) [56] | ? | Weekly [56] | ||
| Indianapolis | Indianapolis Visions | 1982 (uncertain) [54] | 1986 [25] | Weekly, [54] later monthly [25] |
| |
| Indianapolis | Indianapolis Voice | 1957 [54] | 1958 (uncertain) [54] | Weekly [54] | ||
| Indianapolis | Indianapolis World , originally Indianapolis Colored World | 1883 (uncertain) [54] | 1932 [54] | Weekly [54] ("generally" [25] ) | ||
| Indianapolis |
| 1929 [54] or 1939 [25] | 1940 [25] | Weekly [54] or irregular [25] |
| |
| Muncie | The Muncie Times | 1991 [61] | 2011 [61] | Twice monthly [62] or biweekly [63] |
| |
| Richmond | Richmond Blade | 1918 [25] | 1922 [25] | Weekly [64] or irregular [25] |
| |
| Richmond | Interview | 1906 [25] | ||||
| Richmond | Indiana Register | 1906 [25] | 1908 [25] | |||
| Terre Haute | Afro-American Journal | 1895 [25] | 1896 [25] | Irregular | ||
| Terre Haute | The Eagle | 1906 [25] | Irregular | |||
| Terre Haute | The Right Way | 1896 [25] | 1898 [25] | Irregular | ||
| Terre Haute | The Times | 1909 [25] | 1912 [25] | Irregular | ||
| Terre Haute | Vanguard News | August 5, 1994 [66] | February 4–18, 1995 [66] | Biweekly, then monthly | Edited by Phillip Norton. "It is about black people taking care of business. The business of and for black people. We will also contribute to the development of a viable black community” [66] |
Southern Indiana makes up the southern third of the state, and is home to the Indiana's third-largest city Evansville, as well as smaller cities along the Ohio River.
| City | Title | Beginning | End | Frequency | Call numbers | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evansville | Argus | 1938 [18] | 1943 [18] | Weekly [18] | ||
| Evansville | Chronicle | 1882 [18] | Irregular [18] | |||
| Evansville | Clarion | 1914 [18] | 1915 [18] | Irregular [18] | ||
| Evansville | Consolidated News | 1943 [67] | 1956 (uncertain) [67] | Weekly [67] or irregular [18] | ||
| Evansville | Graphic | 1891 [18] | Irregular [18] | |||
| Evansville | Guide | 1908 [18] | Irregular [18] | |||
| Evansville | Inner City Reporter | 1981 [68] | 1984 [18] | Biweekly [68] or monthly [18] | ||
| Evansville | Negro Press | 1911 [18] | Irregular |
| ||
| Evansville | Our Age , later Our Weekly Age [69] | 1875? [70] or 1878 [71] | ? | Weekly [71] |
| |
| Evansville | Our Times Newspaper | 1983 [18] | current | Biweekly [72] or semimonthly [18] | ||
| Evansville | Pilot | 1888 [18] | Irregular | |||
| Evansville | The Right Way | 1880 [18] | Irregular | |||
| Evansville | The Transcript | 1905 [18] | Irregular [18] | |||
| Evansville | The Watch Tower | 1880s [18] | Irregular [18] | |||
| New Albany | New Albany Weekly Review | 1881 [73] | 1880s [74] | Weekly [73] |
The Colored Visitor (first black newspaper published in Indiana)
Vince Robinson and Terri Miller published INK newspaper (2001-2009)
Urban Times grew out of The Lockerbie Letter, which Bill edited and produced from 1996 to 2005 before creating the multi-neighborhood newsmagazine that is Urban Times.
We received this week 'Our Weekly Age,' E. F. Horn's paper, formerly 'Our Age,' of Evansville. It is a neat, spicy little folio, and we hope its shadow may never grow less.