Detroit Plaindealer (1883–1894) also known as simply The Plaindealer, was an American newspaper that served the Black community and was published in Detroit.[1] Since 2020, the former newspaper publishing building has a historical marker at 1114 Washington Boulevard in the Capitol Park district in Detroit.[1]
History
The newspaper was founded by brothers Benjamin Pelham and Robert Pelham Jr., Walter H. Stowers, and William H. Anderson; and was advertised as "Detroit’s first Afro-American newspaper".[1][2][3] Its news reporting included abolitionist activities. It served the African American communities throughout the midwest.[2][4] It opened doors for expanding and connecting African American businesspeople, politicians, government service workers and civil rights leaders within the Detroit community.[2] Meta E. Pelham worked as a reporter for the newspaper.[5] In 1892, the newspaper was published in both Detroit and in Cincinnati, Ohio.[6]
The Detroit Plaindealer closed in 1894 after financial struggles.[1] The Afro-American Press and Its Editors (1891) book includes a profile on the newspaper and its employees.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Wright, Kyla L. (October 16, 2020). "Detroit's first Black newspaper receives overdue historical marker". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c Jordan, Jamon (February 21, 2022). "The Black Press Matters". The Michigan Chronicle. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ Gatewood, Willard B. (1990). Aristocrats of Color: the Black Elite 1880-1920 (p). University of Arkansas Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-61075-025-7.
- ^ Ashlee, Laura R. (2005). Traveling Through Time: A Guide to Michigan's Historical Markers. University of Michigan Press. p. 463. ISBN 978-0-472-03066-8.
- ^ Penn, Irvine Garland (1891). The Afro-American Press and Its Editors. Willey & Company. pp. 158–164, 419. ISBN 978-0-598-58268-3.
- ^ "The plaindealer. [online resource] (Detroit, Mich.) 1883–1895". Chronicling America. Library of Congress.