Lewis Ossie Swingler (August 28, 1906 – September 25, 1962) was a pioneering African-American journalist, editor, and newspaper publisher from

Crittenden County, Arkansas Crittenden County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 48,163. The county seat is Marion, Arkansas, Marion, and the largest city is West ...

. He was editor of the ''

Memphis World ''Memphis World'' was an African-American newspaper founded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1931. It was edited by Lewis O. Swingler, and published by W. A. Scott and L. F. Scott. Educator and activist Estes Kefauver Carey Estes Kefauver ( ; July 26 ...

'' and editor in chief and copublisher of the ''

Tri-State Defender The ''Tri-State Defender'' is a weekly newspaper, weekly African-American newspaper serving Memphis, Tennessee, and the nearby areas of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. It bills itself as "The Mid-South's Best Alternative Newspaper". The ''D ...

''.

Early life

Swingler was born in Crittenden County in 1905. He was raised in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

, where he attended Booker T. Washington High School. Swingler went on to attend the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

(NU), where he graduated with a degree in journalism. While in college, Swingler helped organize the first chapter of

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...

at NU and edited the ''Sphinx'', a publication of that fraternity.

Career

Directly after graduating, Swingler moved to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, where he was a pivotal figure in the establishment of the ''Memphis World''. He served as its editor from its founding in 1931 until he left in 1951 to start the ''Tri-State Defender'' with

John H. Sengstacke John Herman Henry Sengstacke (November 25, 1912 – May 28, 1997) was an American newspaper publisher and owner of the largest chain of African-American oriented newspapers in the United States. Sengstacke was also a civil rights activist and wor ...

. During this period Swingler also taught journalism at

LeMoyne College Lemoyne (French: ''le moine'') can refer to: People * Antoine Le Moyne de Châteauguay (1683–1747), French soldier and governor of Cayenne (French Guiana) * Charles Le Moyne (actor) (1880–1956), American actor of the silent era * Charles le ...

. Swingler used his position in Memphis's black community to advocate for civil rights. For instance, in 1948 Swingler and a number of other prominent black citizens of Memphis pressed the police department to hire African American officers as a way of reducing police brutality. This effort was ultimately successful. Swingler also joined an early voter registration group,

Joseph Edison Walker Joseph Edison Walker (March 31, 1879 – July 28, 1958) was a leading African American physician, businessman and religious leader. After graduating from college and medical school, he practiced as a doctor in Mississippi, where he was born and ...

's ''Non-Partisan Voters Committee'', in 1951. In 1956, during the

Montgomery bus boycott The Montgomery bus boycott was a political and social boycott, protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. It was a foundational event in the civil rights movement in the United ...

, Swingler was the southern vice president of Alpha Phi Alpha. After fellow Alpha

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

was indicted in Montgomery, Swingler was among a delegation which travelled there to support King. Swingler died on September 25, 1962, in

Mound Bayou, Mississippi Mound Bayou is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,533 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, down from 2,102 in 2000. It was founded as an independent black community in ...

, of a heart attack.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swingler, Lewis Ossie African-American journalists 20th-century American journalists American male journalists People from Crittenden County, Arkansas 1900s births 1962 deaths Mass media people from Memphis, Tennessee Alpha Phi Alpha members LeMoyne–Owen College faculty University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni 20th-century American non-fiction writers Journalists from Tennessee People from Mound Bayou, Mississippi 20th-century American male writers 20th-century African-American people