''The Forum'' was an
African-American owned newspaper founded by
John Henry Ryan and
Ella Ryan
Ella may refer to:
* Ella (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname
Places United States
* Ella, Kentucky, an unincorporated community
* Ella, Oregon, an unincorporated community
* Ella, Pennsylvania, an unincorporate ...
and published by the Graham–Hickman Company weekly from 1903 to 1918 covering the
Tacoma area of the U.S. state of
Washington.
It was founded on July 3, 1903 and ceased publication on December 28, 1918.
While the second page of the paper contained black society news, the paper covered mostly local politics and had mainly white readers and advertisers. ''The Forum'' published occasional reprinted pieces from other publications with black interests.
[Mumford, Esther, (1985). ''Black Heritage Survey of Washington State]
(PDF)
' Retrieved 2020-11-17 In 1906, Ella became sole publisher and editor. John was still listed on the masthead as editor, although he pursued a political career.
[Kershner, Kate (2011). ''Ryan, John Henry and Ella.'' Essay 9823, Historylink.org. https://www.historylink.org/File/9823]
History
John Henry Ryan and Ella Ryan were African American business owners. They owned The Forum and were the editors. The Forum was the first African American owned weekly newspaper.
In 1903, ''The Forum'' merged with the ''
Tacoma Sun'', a
weekly newspaper that had been publishing for 12 years.
In 1906, Ella Ryan became sole publisher and editor. John Henry Ryan was still listed on the masthead as editor, although he pursued a political career.
John would go on to be the first African American elected to the Washington state senate.
See also
*
List of African-American newspapers in Washington (state)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forum (Tacoma)
Mass media in Tacoma, Washington
African-American newspapers