Charles Norton Love (died 1946) was a pioneering newspaper publisher and civil rights activist in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. Love became a leading civil rights activist and advocate for the African American community. The Love's paper, the ''

Texas Freeman The ''Texas Freeman'' was a newspaper for African Americans established in 1893 in Houston, Texas. It was established by Charles N. Love along with his wife Lilla as well as Jack Tibbitto, and Emmett J. Scott who became its editor. It was the c ...

'' criticized

Jim Crow laws The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...

, sought equal pay for African American teachers, advocated for Houston's Carnegie Library for African Americans, pushed for the hiring of African American postal workers, and opposed segregation. He was active in the Republican Party and was a member of the

Black-and-tan faction The black-and-tan faction was a faction in the Republican Party in the South from the 1870s to the 1960s. It replaced the Negro Republican Party faction's name after the 1890s. Southern Republicans were divided into two factions: the lily-white f ...

, then the

lily white faction The lily-white movement was an anti-black political movement within the Republican Party in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a response to the political and socioeconomic gains made by African-Americans foll ...

, and eventually sued to end the prohibition on African Americans voting in primaries held by the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

(the dominant party in Texas at the time). He steadfastly sought out political representation and other opportunities for African Americans. Love established the ''Navasota Echo'' in the countryside. After it closed, He launched the ''

'' newspaper in Houston in 1893 and published its first issue with his wife Lilla. The paper condemned discrimination, while advocating for equal pay, job opportunities, and against voting restrictions facing African Americans in Texas. He sued when Texas passed a law prohibiting African Americans from voting in 1923 after a series of local measures restricting their voting rights. African Americans were prohibited from membership in the Democratic Party in Texas. Love was tall, slender, terribly near-sighted and

albino Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

. Love was attacked by arsonists at his home and shot in the streets. He survived to see the Democratic Party of Texas finally admit African Americans in the 1940s. He died in 1943 and is buried in Paradise Cemetery in

Acres Homes Acres Homes is a neighborhood located in northwest Houston, Texas. The mile area is loosely bounded by the city limits and West Gulf Bank Road to the north; Pinemont Drive to the south; North Shepherd Drive to the east; and Alabonson Drive to th ...

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