The Birmingham Times is a weekly African-American newspaper published in Birmingham, Alabama.
History
The newspaper was founded in 1964 by Jesse Lewis Sr. in order to give the local Black community a greater voice during the civil rights struggle.[1][2] Lewis wanted to provide an alternative to the News and Post-Herald, which only mentioned Black people in a negative light, and the Birmingham World, which Lewis felt only focused on discrimination.[3] The paper did not own its own printing press and sometimes struggled with getting their printer to print the paper because of its anti-segregation stance.[3] Lewis stated that he wanted the Times to be "committed to covering the fullness and totality of life, not just the controversial and political."[3]
The paper was sold to Lewis's son James in 1998 with Cheryl Eldridge staying on as the editor in chief.[4][5] In 2019 the paper was sold to The Foundation for Progress in Journalism (FPJ), a non-profit created honoring Lewis, with the aim to promote minorities advancement in journalism.[1]
References
- ^ a b Poe, Kelly (January 29, 2016). "Birmingham Times sold to non-profit foundation, names new management". al. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ Danky, James Philip; Hady, Maureen E. (1998). African-American newspapers and periodicals : a national bibliography. Mark Graham. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-674-00788-8.
- ^ a b c Cobb, Mark Hughes. "Jesse Lewis looks back on a life full of success". Tuscaloosa News. Gannett. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ Diel, Stan (April 8, 2013). "Birmingham Times publisher James Lewis remembered as hard-working advocate for black community". al. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ "Jesse Lewis Sr". 2020 Bicentennial Alabama African American History Book Site. December 23, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
External links