The Afro-American Newspapers
Civil Rights Advocates, Regional & National Impact

John H. Murphy Sr.

Since its founding in 1892, The Afro-American Newspapers gave voice to the Civil Rights Movement. Founded by John H. Murphy Sr., a former slave, the paper started as a merger of his church’s publication and by 1922 became the most widely circulated black newspaper along the east coast. Under the 45-year editorship (1922-1960s), of Carl Murphy, one of the founder’s sons, The Afro-American Newspapers rose to national prominence, with Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, Richmond, Newark, and North and South Carolina editions; reaching its peak in weekly circulation of 235,000 in 1945. The newspapers’ accomplishments were recognized on March 29, 1944 when the S.S. John H Murphy Liberty Ship was launched at the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard.

In Hayward Farrow’s dissertation on The Afro-American Newspapers, he writes,

“The owners and editors wanted, above all, a powerful black community free from white domination. They believed that a highly-educated black population would achieve this goal.”      

Afro-American Newspapers, ca. 1940's

Through Carl Murphy, The Afro-American Newspapers advocated for the hiring of African Americans by Baltimore’s police and fire departments, black representation in the legislature, and the establishment of a state-supported African American university. The 80th anniversary edition called Carl Murphy, “A man with a purpose.”

The paper also campaigned against the Southern Railroad’s use of Jim Crow cars and fought to obtain equal pay for Maryland’s black school teachers.  The newspaper’s collaboration with the NAACP against the University of Maryland Law School for its segregationist admission policies, helped lead to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 decision outlawing segregated public schools.

Between 1919 and 1990, the newspaper’s production plant was on Eutaw Street in a three-story, block-long building housing the advertising, circulation, and business offices, typesetting machines, engraving plant, teletype room, photographers’ studio, archives, mailing rooms, paper storage rooms and garage.

Today, The Afro-American Newspapers publishes the Baltimore and Washington editions, remains the nation’s second-longest-running African American, family-owned newspaper, and carries on the tradition of seeking fairness and balance for its 100,000-plus regular readers, and inserting itself into minority issues at all levels.

628 N. Eutaw, Baltimore, MD 21201