August 13,1892, the first issue of the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper went on sale. This Black-owned and operated newspaper has crusaded for racial equality and economic advancement for African Americans for over a century. John Henry Murphy Sr., a former slave, started the paper when he merged his church publication, The Sunday School Helper, with two other church publications, The Ledger and The Afro-American. By 1922, Murphy moved the newspaper from a one-page weekly church publication into the most widely circulated Black paper on the Atlantic coast. Following Murphy’s death that year, his five sons continued to manage The Afro-American. The Afro-American rose to national prominence under the editorial control of Carl Murphy, who was its editor-publisher for 45 years. The newspaper was circulated in Baltimore, Washington, D. C., Philadelphia, Richmond, and Newark.At one time, as many as 13 editions were circulated nationwide. The Afro-American’s status as a Black paper profoundly affected social change nationally. The editorial pages of The Afro-American were used to push for the hiring of Blacks by Baltimore’s police and fire departments, to press for Black representation in the legislature, and to establish a state-supported university to educate Blacks.
