The ''Minnesota SpokesmanRecorder'' is an
African-American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
, English-language newspaper headquartered in
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
and serves readers in the
Twin Cities
Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...
. Founded in 1934 by
Cecil Earle Newman (who remained editor until his death in 1976),
it is the oldest continuously operated black newspaper and longest-lived black-owned business in Minnesota.
The current Publisher & CEO of the paper is Newman's granddaughter, Tracey Williams-Dillard.
History
The newspaper's first issue appeared on August 10, 1934, as the ''St. Paul Reporter''. Until 2000, it released weekly alongside ''The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder'', also published and edited by Newman (until his death in 1976).
The newspaper office moved from St. Paul to 3744 Fourth Avenue South, Minneapolis, in 1958. Under Newman's leadership, the newspaper played a key role in the
civil rights movement in Minnesota.
After Newman's death in 1976, his wife Launa took over operation of the papers. In 2000, she merged them into a single title, the ''Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.'' In 2007, Newman's granddaughter Tracey Williams-Dillard became CEO of the paper.
The late photographer, filmmaker, writer, and composer
Gordon Parks
Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks (November 30, 1912 – March 7, 2006) was an American photographer, composer, author, poet, and filmmaker, who became prominent in U.S. documentary photojournalism in the 1940s through 1970s—particularly ...
was a photo-journalist for the newspaper.
The newspaper building on Fourth Avenue was declared a historic landmark in 2015 for its association with the civil rights movement in Minnesota.
The ''Minnesota SpokesmanRecorder'' is a member of the
National Newspaper Association, Amalgamated Publishers, Inc., Metropolitan Economic Development Association, Minnesota Minority Media Coalition, and Minnesota Newspaper Association.
In 2021, the newspaper's archives from 1934 to 1964 were publicly digitized in collaboration with the
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
and the
Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Educational institution, educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the Minnesota Terr ...
.
See also
*
38th Street South
*
History of Minneapolis
*
Launa Q. Newman
References
Further reading
*
External links
Official website1934-1964 archives of the ''Minneapolis Spokesman'', at the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub
{{coord, 44.934872, -93.270480, region:US-MN, display=title, name=W: Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Newspapers published in Minnesota
Mass media in Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Newspapers established in 1934
1934 establishments in Minnesota
Newspapers published in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota
African-American newspapers