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Africo-American Presbyterian

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Africo-American Presbyterian
TypeWeekly
PublisherAfrico-American Presbyterian Publishing Company
EditorDaniel J. Sanders
FoundedJanuary 1, 1879
LanguageEnglish
Ceased publicationSeptember 29, 1938
HeadquartersCharlotte, North Carolina
CountryUnited States
ISSN2835-8759
OCLC number707512087

Africo-American Presbyterian was an American religious weekly newspaper for African American Presbyterians. It was published from 1879 until 1938 by the Africo-American Presbyterian Publishing Company in Charlotte, North Carolina. Its founding editor and publisher was Daniel J. Sanders, a Black Presbyterian minister. The newspaper was not an official publication by the Presbyterian Church; however, it did provide a needed Black perspective and covered many social issues of the era.

History

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Africo-American Presbyterian was first published on January 1, 1879.[1][2] Its founding editor, publisher, and owner was Daniel J. Sanders, a Black Presbyterian minister and educator in Wilmington, North Carolina.[3][4] Sanders was the editor of the newspaper until his death in 1909.[2]

Africo-American Presbyterian was initially published twice month and consisted of twenty broad columns.[4] By 1892, Africo-American Presbyterian was published weekly by the Africo-American Presbyterian Publishing Company out of Charlotte, North Carolina.[1][5] The publication moved to Charlotte when Sanders became president of Biddle University.[2]

Africo-American Presbyterian was not an official publication by the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA); however, its content focused on the needs and interests of Black Presbyterians.[6] The church encouraged all Black Presbyterians to subscribe.[7] Africo-American Presbyterian tended to have a "conservative theological stance" and supported loyalty to the standards defined by the Presbyterian Church.[6] Editorially, the newspaper supported missions in Africa, while criticizing the PCUSA for failing to assign a Black missionary to Africa.[6][a]

The Africo-American Presbyterian published articles that highlighted racial injustice and violence.[6] In April 1925, Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) conducted research and gathered statistics on Black lynchings.[6] In response to the Tuskegee Institute's work, the newspaper's editorial page strongly condemned such acts of violence, meanwhile the PCUSA General Assembly did not take as strong stance at that time.[6] Africo-American Presbyterian also supported Black voting rights, many decades before the 1965 Voting Rights Act.[6] In April 1925, the newspaper provided extensive coverage of racial tensions in Hampton, Virginia.[6]

Africo-American Presbyterian ceased published with volume 59, number 34 on September 29, 1939 and merged with The Southern Evangelist.[5][8] Digitized versions of the newspaper's issues are available online through the DigitalNC of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,[9] the Chronicling America archives of the Library of Congress,[8] and the Pearl Digital Collection by the Presbyterian Historical Society.[10]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ PCUSA did not assign a Black missionary to Africa until 1920.

References

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  1. ^ a b N. W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual. Philadelphia: N. W. Ayer & Son. 1892. p. 558 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c Massey Jr., R. A. (August 2022). "Sanders, Daniel Jackson". NCpedia. State Library of North Carolina. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  3. ^ The Presbyterian Monthly Record. Vol. 33. Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication. 1882. p. 145.
  4. ^ a b "A New Wilmington Paper". The Wilmington Sun. January 19, 1879. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Danky, James Philip; Hady, Maureen E. (1998). African-American newspapers and periodicals: a national bibliography. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-674-00788-8.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Coalter, Milton J.; Mulder, John M.; Weeks, Louis (1991). The Diversity of Discipleship: Presbyterians and Twentieth-century Christian Witness. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox Press. pp. 196–197. ISBN 978-0-664-25196-3 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Coalter, Milton J.; Mulder, John M.; Weeks, Louis (1991-01-01). The Diversity of Discipleship: Presbyterians and Twentieth-century Christian Witness. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-664-25196-3 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b "Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.; Charlotte, N.C.) 1879-1938 [Online Resource]". Library of Congress. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  9. ^ "Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.)". DigitalNC. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  10. ^ "Pearl Collection". Presbyterian Historical Society. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
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