The Afro-American newspaper has a long and interesting history spanning more than a century. This newspaper is an essential resource for the study of the African American communities in Baltimore.
The Afro-American newspaper was the brain-child of a number influential African American men of Baltimore. The newspaper faced substantial economic challenges. During the latter part of the nineteenth century, 260 different African American newspapers were published throughout the United States. The abundance of newspapers in print resulted in limited circulation. Many of these newspapers failed because they did not have the capital to remain in print.
Initially the Afro-American was known as the Home Protector which was established and edited by Reverend William Alexander in 1889. With the help of a group of investors, including John R. Cole, Charles H. Richardson, James E. Johnson, and William H. Daly, the Home Protector became the Afro-American on August 13, 1892. In the spring of 1895, the Northwestern Family Supply Company (NFSC), assumed control of the Afro-American. Although this seemed to be a turn for the best, that prominent business firm went bankrupt leading to the near end of the newspaper. The machinery used to print the Afro-American went up for sale. John H. Murphy Sr., the head of the printing press at the paper, purchased the newspaper’s printing equipment for $200. Since then, the Afro-American has remained in the hands and the hearts of the same family, the Murphys of Baltimore.
John H. Murphy Sr. was born a slave in Baltimore in 1840. After emancipation, he became extremely active with the Sunday School at Bethel A.M.E. Church. With his knowledge of the printing press gained from the newspaper, he published the Sunday School Helper and later The Standard. In 1897, Murphy used his skills to help re-establish the Afro-American newspaper. In 1900, Murphy collaborated with the Reverend George F. Bragg Jr., editor of the Ledger (another African American newspaper), and together they formed the Afro- American Ledger.
The Afro-American has long served as a window into the world of Black Baltimore. It provided an opportunity for African Americans in Baltimore to receive news concerning the African American community. The paper published upcoming activities and events, most of which would have been ignored by the main stream media. The newspaper provided work for African American printers, journalists and other newspaper personnel who probably would not have been able to find work elsewhere. The Afro-American would later become one of the largest African American newspapers in circulation throughout the United States.