''The Voice of the Negro'' was a literary periodical aimed at a national audience of
African Americans
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
which was published from 1904 to 1907. It was created 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 ...
in June 1904 by Austin N. Jenkins, the white manager of the publishing company J. L. Nichols and Company. He gave full control of the magazine to the Black editors
John W. E. Bowen, Sr.
John Wesley Edward Bowen (December 3, 1855 – July 20, 1933) was born into Slavery in the United States, American slavery and became a Methodism, Methodist clergyman, denominational official, college and university educator and one of the fir ...
and
Jesse Max Barber
Jesse Max Barber (July 5, 1878 – September 20, 1949) was an African-American journalist, teacher and dentist.
Biography
Born in Blackstock, South Carolina, to former slave parents, Jesse Max Barber was educated at Benedict College and Vir ...
.
It relocated to
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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following the
Atlanta Race Riot
Violent attacks by armed mobs of White Americans against African Americans in Atlanta, Georgia, began on the evening of September 22, 1906, and lasted through September 24, 1906. The events were reported by newspapers around the world, includi ...
of September 1906, and ceased publication in 1907.
The periodical published writing by
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
, as well as work by a younger generation of Black activists and intellectuals:
W. E. B. Du Bois,
John Hope,
Kelly Miller,
Mary Church Terrell, and
William Pickens
William Pickens (15 January 1881 – 6 April 1954) was an American orator, educator, journalist, and essayist. He wrote multiple articles and speeches, and penned two autobiographies, first ''The Heir of Slaves'' in 1911 and second ''Bursting Bond ...
. It featured poetry by
James D. Corrothers,
Georgia Douglas Johnson
Georgia Blanche Douglas Camp Johnson, better known as Georgia Douglas Johnson (September 10, 1880 – May 15, 1966), was a poet. She was one of the earliest female African-American playwrights, and an important figure of the Harlem Renaissance. ...
, and
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American C ...
.
History
Beginnings
''The Voice of the Negro'' was the first African-American periodical based in the South. It was originally published in Atlanta in 1904, and created by Austin N. Jenkins, the white manager of the publishing company J. L. Nichols and Company. However, he left complete control and responsibility over the magazine to the Black editors
John W. E. Bowen, Sr.
John Wesley Edward Bowen (December 3, 1855 – July 20, 1933) was born into Slavery in the United States, American slavery and became a Methodism, Methodist clergyman, denominational official, college and university educator and one of the fir ...
and
Jesse Max Barber
Jesse Max Barber (July 5, 1878 – September 20, 1949) was an African-American journalist, teacher and dentist.
Biography
Born in Blackstock, South Carolina, to former slave parents, Jesse Max Barber was educated at Benedict College and Vir ...
. Barber and Bowen aimed for the magazine to include "current and sociological history so accurately given and so vividly portrayed that it will become a kind of documentation for the coming generations."
At this time, Atlanta had the most Black institutes, so the editors also strove to uplift the Black literary and political voice there.
The manifesto for the magazine was published in the January 1904 edition at the start of the issue. Part of the manifesto is as follows:
''The Voice of the Negro'' for 1904 will keep you posted on Current History, Educational Improvements, Art, Science, Race Issues, Sociological Movements and Religion. It is the herald of the Dawn of the Day. It is the first magazine ever edited in the South by Colored Men. It will prove to be a necessity in the cultured colored homes and a source of information on Negro inspirations and aspirations in the white homes.
The editors wanted the magazine to be ideologically and politically independent both to avoid partisan affiliation and to mediate the divide in the Black community between
W.E.B. DuBois and
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
's differing ideologies. However, Booker T. Washington sought to have influence over the magazine and had his personal secretary
Emmett Jay Scott
Emmett Jay Scott (February 13, 1873 – December 12, 1957) was a journalist, founding newspaper editor, government official and envoy, educator, and author. He was Booker T. Washington's closest adviser at the Tuskegee Institute. He was responsib ...
become an associate editor. For the first volume, the editors stayed balanced and published contributions from both DuBois and Washington. Scott eventually left the editorial board in August 1904, however, due to a conflict behind the scenes between Washington and the editors. The editors still wanted to stay neutral for the second volume, but from Spring 1905 and on the magazine became publicly anti-Washington.
Political developments
Through the articles and editorials, ''The Voice of the Negro'' emerged as a vocal political magazine during the early 1900s. The magazine's role as a "political advocate in national and local politics" has content that consists of local and national political figures and how black and white people saw the quality of their work. The "important" people within these discussions were
W.E.B Du Bois,
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
, and
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
. However, the person with the most significant role in presenting the political movements and political commentary was
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
. He became the "spokesman and leader" of the Black race with his Atlanta Exposition in 1895.
''The Voice of the Negro'' inspired black intellectuals across the nation and allowed Du Bois to start his political movement, the Niagara movement, in 1905. Which was made of "educated and elite blacks" and promoted political and social equality. The organization also created local organizations in seventeen of thirty states where the magazine was sold. Throughout the journal productions, there was periodical controversy where some of the presented language was not acceptable. Specifically, the words were "Leopard Spots" and "Clansman."
''The Voice of the Negro'' also promoted
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
's presidency in the early 1901 and 1904, where he spoke and promoted his ideas of "equality," and he was an "advocate of a square deal." After he was elected in 1901, he appointed Booker T. Washington as his advisor of the "Negro population" and appointed
William Crum a "black customs collector." Those advances "agitated" many white in the South. Roosevelt later made the South extremely uneasy when he invited Washington to a White House dinner. Though Washington "declared" that the White House dinner was only to the president's benefit, Theodore Roosevelt publicly announced the regret of his initial actions. In 1904, Roosevelt won the presidency, and ''The Voice of the Negro'' announced that he won based on the "overwhelming majority of American people believed civic righteousness and fair play to all races."
During Roosevelt's presidency, ''The Voice of the Negro'' criticized his role in the change of his racial policy and called his failures to call Congress's attention to open the nullification of the 14th and 15th Amendments. The black community also became outraged with Roosevelt's lack of action in the
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville () is a city in Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers , and has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 census. It ...
incident where one citizen was killed and two wounded during a violent riot by white citizens.
''The Voice of the Negro'' became the black population's voice and reflected the anger and outrage of the black population.
Social and educational developments
Through its articles and editorials, ''The Voice of the Negro'' worked to encourage the social and educational development of Black people. The magazine "advocated Black pride, Black self-respect, and encouraged the Black race to seek all of its rights and privileges guaranteed by law."
There were many ways in which it worked to advocate these things. For example, the magazine urged the Black population to not emulate the white race to the degree where they lose the appreciation for the beauty and qualities of their own. As well, they stated that since freedom of speech and press were greatly limited in the South, they encouraged people of races to valiantly stand for the rights of everyone and demand their freedoms. The magazine also discussed the attributes a Black man should have: he should think of himself as a worthy man and to demand equal justice and common courtesy from the white man.
''The Voice of the Negro'' encouraged the educational development of Black people, especially in higher institutions of learning. Two universities that were commended by the magazine were
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. Fou ...
and
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature.
The campus was de ...
. In Georgia, Atlanta University was the first higher institution to allow admission to people of all backgrounds and in ''The Voice of the Negro'' they were praised for being an institution that had not been "swept from its course by the phantasy of Negro industrial supremacy. It believes in practical education, but it believes that practical education is that kind of education that introduces a man to mankind and helps him to know intimately his own soul."
Booker T. Washington was principal of Tuskegee University and the magazine praised his efforts to develop the school despite the mistakes he made a long the way. ''The Voice of the Negro'' gave recognition to Washington's success and honored the hard work he put into honoring his race and his nation.
Despite the differing ideologies of each institution's leaders, the magazine still praised their success in supporting the educational development of Black people.
Decline of the magazine
There was a lot of racial violence occurring in Georgia in the beginning of the 20th century, but the event that impacted the magazine the most was the
Atlanta Massacre of 1906. One of the main editors,
Jesse Max Barber
Jesse Max Barber (July 5, 1878 – September 20, 1949) was an African-American journalist, teacher and dentist.
Biography
Born in Blackstock, South Carolina, to former slave parents, Jesse Max Barber was educated at Benedict College and Vir ...
, was enraged at the speculations that the riot was caused by Atlanta's Black population, so he anonymously wrote in the ''
New York World
The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under pub ...
'' that the white press was to blame. His authorship was discovered eventually by white leaders and he was threatened with arrest. To avoid arrest, Barber fled to Chicago and continued publication under the shortened name ''The Voice.'' However, after relocating, "the subsequent financial instability, coupled with increasing pressure from Tuskegee, compelled Barber to cease production, reluctantly, in October 1907."
Content
Volume One
The first volume of ''The Voice of the Negro,'' was published January 1904. Their goal was to keep the American people updated on the current history, educational improvements, art, science, race issues, sociological movements and religion. The price to subscribe to the issues were $1.00 per year.
Volume one was released in 12 different issues containing events that happened in that particular month. Each of these issues had different editors and contributors which made the content different in every issue.
Volume One No.1 had major contributors like Prof. William Scarborough, Prof. John Hope, Prof. Kelly Miller, Mr. S. A. Beadle and Prof. Silas X. Floyd. All these authors also contributed a short excerpts and poems, an example is S. A. Beadle's short story "If I Had a Million".
Volume One No. 2 had the same contributors as No.1 but introduced newer content from
Kelly Miller,
Jno. H. Adams Jr,
J. Max Barber,
W. G. Carver,
Benjamin Brawley,
H. M. Porter,
L. A. J. Moorer,
D. Webster Davis, and
Silas X. Floyd.
Volume Two
The second volume of ''The Voice of the Negro'', was published in January 1905. This volume is split up into different numbers going all the way to Number 12. This is released on a monthly basis and is shown next to the title of the Journal.
The credited editors on this Volume Two No. 1 are
Benjamin Brawley,
Corporal Simmons
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...
,
Mary Terrell
Mary Church Terrell (born Mary Eliza Church; September 23, 1863 – July 24, 1954) was one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree, and became known as a national activist for civil rights and suffrage. She taught in the Lat ...
,
Bishop Warren Candler
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
,
Rev. Dr. Bradley, William Ward,
W. E. B. DuBois,
Kelly Miller,
W.H. Council,
Dr. Landrum,
James Corrothers,
Gardner Goldsby Gardner may refer to:
Name
*Gardner (given name)
* Gardner (surname)
Places United States
*Gardner, Colorado
*Gardner, Illinois
*Gardner, Kansas
*Gardner, Massachusetts
* Gardner, North Dakota
*Gardner, Tennessee
*Gardner, Wisconsin
*Glen Gardne ...
,
Alice Ward Smith, and
Silas Floyd.
''The Voice of the Negro'' first opens with a Monthly Review, which would consist of events that are happening within that year and some insight as to some congressional decisions that had occurred within that year. This journal also includes pieces that are written by the editors discussing a variety of topics. These topics consist of some valuable insight into some of the actions that affect Black people, such as a paper written by Bishop Candler who wrote on the subject of Hostility to lynching. The journal also consists of short stories one of them written by James Corrothers, the title of the short story is "Lincoln".
The credited editors in Vol. Two No. 2 were
Gardner Goldsby Gardner may refer to:
Name
*Gardner (given name)
* Gardner (surname)
Places United States
*Gardner, Colorado
*Gardner, Illinois
*Gardner, Kansas
*Gardner, Massachusetts
* Gardner, North Dakota
*Gardner, Tennessee
*Gardner, Wisconsin
*Glen Gardne ...
,
Pauline E. Hopkins,
Wellington Adams
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
,
Mrs. Mary Church Terrell,
Daniel Murray,
John Henery Adams, and newer material from
W.E.B DuBois,
Silas X. Floyd, and
W. S. Scarborough.
Volume Three
The third volume of The Voice of the Negro, was published in January 1906. This volume continued the same structure as the previous volumes by releasing twelve different installments corresponding to the year's months.
Vol. 3 No. 1 had contributions from
Asa Thombson,
William Pickens
William Pickens (15 January 1881 – 6 April 1954) was an American orator, educator, journalist, and essayist. He wrote multiple articles and speeches, and penned two autobiographies, first ''The Heir of Slaves'' in 1911 and second ''Bursting Bond ...
,
T.H. Malone,
J.W.E. Bowen,
G.A. Lee,
W.E.B. DuBois,
Mrs. L.K. Wiggins, and
Benjamin G. Brawley
Vol. 3 No. 2 had contributions from
Alice Ward Smith,
Mary White Ovington
Mary White Ovington (April 11, 1865 – July 15, 1951) was an American suffragist, journalist, and co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Biography
Mary White Ovington was born April 11, 1865, in Bro ...
,
J.H. Gray,
T.H. Malone,
John Henry Adams,
Florence Bentley
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
,
Daniel Murray,
M.A. Majors, Joseph Manning, William Maxwell,
John Jenifer, and
Silas Floyd
Vol. 3 No. 3 had contributions from
Azalia Marlen,
Henry Proctor,
James Corrothers,
Daniel Murray,
Will Hendrickson,
W.E.B. DuBois,
T. THomas Fortune
Timothy Thomas Fortune (October 3, 1856June 2, 1928) was an orator, civil rights leader, journalist, writer, editor and publisher. He was the highly influential editor of the nation's leading black newspaper ''The New York Age'' and was the leadin ...
,
Lida Wiggins
Lida ( be, Лі́да ; russian: Ли́да ; lt, Lyda; lv, Ļida; pl, Lida ; yi, לידע, Lyde) is a city 168 km (104 mi) west of Minsk in western Belarus in Grodno Region.
Etymology
The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuani ...
,
S.H. Archer,
C.C. Poindexter,
Anna Comstock,
Fanny Williams, and
Henery Middleton
Volume Four
The fourth volume of The Voice of the Negro, was published in January 1907. This volume continued the same structure as the previous volumes by releasing twelve different installments corresponding to the year's months. This was the last volume produced by The Voice of the Negro.
The first issue of vol. Four was a conjoined issue with content from January and February of 1907, this issue had contributions from
J. Francis Lee,
Jasper Phillips, John Daniels,
Alexnder Chamberlain,
W.S. Scarboroguh
WS, Ws, or ws may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Ware Shoals Railroad (reporting mark WS)
* WestJet (IATA airline code WS)
* Society of Writers to Her Majesty's Signet, in post-nomial abbreviation
* Williams Street, the production arm ...
,
Joseph B. Foraker,
Lena Lewis
Lena or LENA may refer to:
Places
* Léna Department, a department of Houet Province in Burkina Faso
* Lena, Manitoba, an unincorporated community located in Killarney-Turtle Mountain municipality in Manitoba, Canada
* Lena, Norway, a village in ...
,
Russell Fleming,
Azalia Martin Azalia may refer to:
* Azalia, Indiana, United States
* Azalia, Michigan, United States
* Azalia Snail, musician
* Intel High Definition Audio, by codename
* A brand name of desogestrel
Desogestrel is a progestin medication which is used in ...
, John Fraser, Daniel Thompson, John Work,
Katherine Tillman,
Vere Goldthwaite,
William Pickens
William Pickens (15 January 1881 – 6 April 1954) was an American orator, educator, journalist, and essayist. He wrote multiple articles and speeches, and penned two autobiographies, first ''The Heir of Slaves'' in 1911 and second ''Bursting Bond ...
,
Florence Bentley
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
,
Fiona Macleod
William Sharp (12 September 1855 – 12 December 1905) was a Scottish writer, of poetry and literary biography in particular, who from 1893 wrote also as Fiona Macleod, a pseudonym kept almost secret during his lifetime. He was also an editor ...
,
Jack Thorne
Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer.
He is best known for writing the stage play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the films '' Wonder'' and '' Enola Holmes'', ...
, and
Silas X. Floyd
The second issue of vol. Four was released in March of 1907 and consisted of contributions from
Chas Mayberry
Chas is a Municipal Corporation in the Chas subdivision of the Bokaro district in the state of Jharkhand, India. It is often referred to as a suburb of Bokaro Steel City, though it predates the steel plant. Chas is one of the fastest-growing ur ...
,
A.D. Delaney,
Edward E. Wilson,
Will H. Hendrickson,
Alexander F. Chamberlain,
W.E.B DuBois,
W.S. Scarborough
WS, Ws, or ws may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Ware Shoals Railroad (reporting mark WS)
* WestJet (IATA airline code WS)
* Society of Writers to Her Majesty's Signet, in post-nomial abbreviation
* Williams Street, the production arm ...
,
J.E. Bruce,
Florence Bentley
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
,
William Pickens
William Pickens (15 January 1881 – 6 April 1954) was an American orator, educator, journalist, and essayist. He wrote multiple articles and speeches, and penned two autobiographies, first ''The Heir of Slaves'' in 1911 and second ''Bursting Bond ...
,
John Henery Adams,
Mary Church Terrell,
Florence Lewis Bentley,
William Braithwaite,
J.A.G. Luvall,
Silas X. Floyd and
Mrs. Bettie G. Francis
References
External links
The Voice of the Negro archive at HathiTrust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Voice of the Negro
African-American history between emancipation and the civil rights movement
African-American literature
African-American magazines
Defunct literary magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1904
Magazines disestablished in 1907
Magazines published in Atlanta
Magazines published in Chicago