CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago Defender celebrates its 120th birthday this week.
It’s considered to be the most influential African American newspaper of its time.
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It’s known for highlighting issues in the Black community.
The newspaper is not only continuing its legacy. It’s fulfilling the dream of its founder.
“When I listen to my uncle, John Sengstacke, talk about the Chicago Defender, he described it more as a civil rights organization, a business incubator, a journalistic institution, and an organization to assist people,” explained Marc Sengstacke.
Founded by Marc Sengstacke’s family, Robert S. Abbott launched what would eventually become a renowned African American newspaper on May 5, 1905, with just $0.25, a vision, and a lot of determination.
The initial run was just 300 copies.
The publication eventually became the nation’s leading Black weekly.
Secretly transported into the South by entertainers and Pullman porters, the newspaper played a crucial role in igniting the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the North.
“He wanted to use it to fight racism. He felt was better for Blacks to live in the North and in the South,” Sengstacke said.
Abbott’s vision provided a voice many people of color simply didn’t have.
And with that celebration of Black excellence, the Bud Billiken Parade was born in 1929.
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Abbott’s nephew, John H. Sengstacke, assumed leadership when Abbott died in 1940.
The Chicago Defender continued its charge to deliver the news of the day while advocating for equality.
The Chicago Defender Charities, which Marc Sengstacke heads, was established in 1945 with the community in mind.
It often provides more than just news. When a 1960s fire displaced South Side residents, the paper opened its door to temporarily house them.
“It was on the radio, and I remember listen to the radio for hours on end because every 30 minutes they would mention, ‘the Chicago Defender opens his doors for victims of the fire and get a place to stay.’ It was fascinating to me,” Marc Sengstacke said.
At its peak, the Chicago Defender’s readership reached a half-million weekly.
In 1997, John Sengstacke died, and the paper was sold.
It eventually transitioned to an all-digital platform, expanding its reach from a circulation of just 9,000 papers to well over 100,000 viewers.
“We are well beyond, and then we’re able to reach outside of the Chicago limits, far beyond the Chicago limits because we have the platform of the worldwide web, so yes absolutely,” publisher Dynna Knight Lewis said.
It was the first predominantly Black newspaper to include a health column and a whole page of comic strips.
It helped Blacks navigate Jim Crow America and, to this day, the issues of racism.
“That mandate is that we’d be an advocate, exposing the truth, talking about issues or racism in the pursuit of an advanced democracy,” managing editor Tacuma Roeback said. “This is also talking about exposing health inequalities.”
The legacy of the Chicago Defender has not changed, as it remains testament to the resilience of a people, a free press and celebration of community.
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