ONE TENTH OF A NATION - THE BLACK PRESS

Here is a great little news report from American Newsreel on the Black press in America. It was originally published in 1953 as part of One Tenth of a Nation, a series of newsreels created during 1953 and 1954 which aimed to celebrate "the achievements of Black Americans in a variety of fields." A number of other newsreels in the series are available to view through the Library of Congress' Digital Collections.

The quality of the footage isn't great, but it nevertheless provides a rare and illuminating video insight into the comings and goings at a number of the nation's most prominent Black publishing enterprises, including the Baltimore Afro-American, the Los Angeles Sentinel, and Johnson Publishing Company.

It's interesting to see how the narrator of this clip links the respective achievements of many publication to their physical plants and offices. This is perhaps most notable through the descriptions of the Johnson Publishing offices at 1820 South Michigan Avenue, which the company had moved into just a few years earlier.

"Luxurious editorial offices are eloquent testimony to the success of this publishing venture, but the surroundings don't interfere with business..."