Ada Crogman Franklin (1886 – December 24, 1983) was an American playwright, journalist, educator, and publisher of '' The Kansas City Call'' newspaper from 1955 to 1983.

Early life and education

Ada Crogman was born in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, the daughter of

William H. Crogman William Henry Crogman (May 5, 1841 – October 16, 1931) was an African American pioneering educator and classicist at Clark University of Atlanta in the United States. The William H. Crogman School in Atlanta is named for him. He was the 11th pr ...

and Lavinia Mott Crogman. Her father was born on

Saint Martin Saint Martin may refer to: People * Saint Martin of Tours (c. 316–397), Bishop of Tours, France * Saint Martin of Braga (c. 520–580), archbishop of Bracara Augusta in Gallaecia (now Braga in Portugal) * Pope Martin I (598–655) * Saint Mart ...

, in the Danish West Indies. She graduated from

Clark Atlanta University Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Clark Atlanta is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Southern United States. Found ...

, where her father was the president and professor of Latin and Greek. She pursued further studies in oratory at

Emerson College Emerson College is a private college with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. It also maintains campuses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and Well, Limburg, Netherlands ( Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a ...

in Massachusetts. The Crogman family were active in education. Her sister Charlotte was a missionary, writer and editor; she married sociologist, clergyman and college president

Richard R. Wright Jr. Richard Robert Wright Jr. (April 16, 1878 in Cuthbert, Georgia – December 12, 1967) was an American sociologist, social worker, and minister. In 1911, Wright became the first African American to earn a doctorate in sociology from an organized ...

Another sister, Edith, married Robert Nathaniel Brooks, a clergyman, educator, and college president. Charlotte's daughter Ruth Wright Hayre was a philanthropist and school superintendent in Philadelphia.

Career

Crogman taught at

Alabama State College Alabama State University (ASU) is a public historically black university in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1867, ASU is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. History Alabama State University was founded in 1867 as the Lin ...

and

Tennessee State University Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tenness ...

as a young woman. As dramatics specialist for the National Playground and Recreation Association and the Community Service League Inc., she wrote a popular musical pageant, ''Milestones of a Race'', and traveled to the cities where it was presented by local theatre groups. Another pageant by Franklin was titled ''Revel of the Seasons.'' Franklin also wrote for ''The Kansas City Call'', the newspaper her husband founded and published. After 1955, she was publisher of the paper, with

Lucile Bluford Lucile Harris Bluford (July 1, 1911 – June 13, 2003) was a famous journalist and opponent of segregation in America's education system, and after whom the Lucile H. Bluford Branch of the Kansas City Public Library is named. Early life Lucile B ...

as editor. "She was the true matriarch of black journalism in America," commented publisher

Carlton Goodlett Carlton Benjamin Goodlett (July 23, 1914 – January 25, 1997) was an American physician, newspaper publisher, political power broker, and civil rights leader in San Francisco, California. From 1951 until his death, he was the owner of Reporter ...

, on the occasion of Franklin's death.

Personal life

Ada Crogman married newspaper publisher Chester Arthur Franklin in 1925. They lived in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. She was widowed in 1955. She died in 1983, in her late nineties. Her papers are in the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City.

References

External links

A collection of photographs of Ada Crogman Franklin
from the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Ada Crogman 1886 births 1983 deaths American newspaper executives American women dramatists and playwrights Clark Atlanta University alumni Emerson College alumni Writers from Atlanta 20th-century African-American educators 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women educators