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- Research Preview: Dignity of Fragile Essential Work in a Pandemic
- Earl Lewis Awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Biden
- Earl Lewis Speaks on Reparations
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Our Initiatives in Michigan
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CSS Digest
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A Look Back
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- A Look Back : Black News and Media Outlets
- A Look Back : Ann Arbor's First Pride Celebrations
- A Look Back: Celebrating AAPI History and Heritage in Michigan
- A Look Back : Discrimination against Asian American, Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities
- A Look Back | Desegregating Sports in America
- A Look Back: The History of MLK Day
- A Look Back: The Thirteenth Amendment
- A Look Back: Telework and the Digital Divide
- A Look Back: 401 Years After the First Slave Ship’s Arrival in America
- A Look Back: Civil Rights Act of 1964
- A Look Back: Pride and Intersectionality
- A Look Back | Black History Month
- A Look Back: The First Slave Ship in the U.S.
- A Look Back: Celebrating Figures of Our Past
- A Look Back: The Stonewall Uprising of 1969
- A Look Back | Juneteenth
- Earl Lewis Featured in PBS Series, Making Black America: Through the Grapevine
- Invisible Labor: Faculty’s Uncompensated Efforts to promote DEI
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- Staff Features
- In the Face of Resistance: Advancing Equity in Higher Education
- Greening the Road Ahead: Navigating Challenges for Just Transitions to Electric Vehicles
- In the Wake of Affirmative Action
- Center for Social Solutions Co-Produces 'The Cost of Inheritance'
- Press Release: Earl Lewis, University of Michigan, Receives the Roy Rosenzweig Distinguished Service Award from the Organization of American Historians
- Higher Admissions: The Rise, Decline, and Return of Standardized Testing
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Black news and media outlets have been a critical part of American journalism for centuries with more than a hundred Black-owned newspapers operating nationwide today.
The first Black-owned publication was created in 1827 by activists John Russwurn and Samuel Cornish to speak out against slavery and racial injustices in New York. Covering topics that were not found in mainstream publications, Freedom Journal rose to prominence as a voice for New York’s Black community and abolitionism. By the 20th century, dozens more Black-owned newspapers had emerged in major cities across the country, spurred by the paper’s success and became cornerstones of abolition and civil rights movements nationwide.
Today, Black news and media outlets can be found in almost every major city across the U.S. where they remain a critical part of racial justice movements and provide high quality coverage of national and global news. With Black journalists comprising only 7% of the journalism workforce, these outlets provide a unique space to showcase stories of and for Black communities that are often overlooked by mainstream news and media. Despite the challenges of digitization and declines in print publications, Black-owned publications continue to be foundational to a wide range of communities and have achieved a global readership of millions. In honor of Black History Month, we recognize and celebrate the history and achievements of these publications.
Use the map below to find Black news and media outlets near you and learn more with the resources below.
Local Black News and Media Outlets
Click on the map icons below to learn more about local Black news and media outlets and search for publications near you.
Access full map here. If you know of a local Black news or media outlet that is not included on this map, please reach out to us at socialsolutions@umich.edu.
National / Digital Publications
Black Enterprise - Since the 1970s, Black Enterprise has been the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for Black Americans and continues to boast a wide readership across the nation.
Blavity - Founded in 2014, Blavity is a media and tech company created by and for Black millennials, focusing largely on Black culture and news. Blavity hosts a wide variety of publications in addition to its more general news site including Shadow and Act, Travel Noire, and AfroTech which look at Black entertainment, travel, and tech news respectively.
Capital B - Capital B is a first-of-its kind, local-national hybrid nonprofit news organization that centers Black voices. Local bureaus in communities across the country are connected to a national team that focuses on investigative and accountability journalism about and for Black Americans.
Ebony - The most popular Black periodical during the decades after World War II, Ebony continues to be a prominent monthly publication covering the lifestyles and accomplishments of influential Black people, fashion, beauty, and politics.
Essence - Essence is a media, technology and commerce company dedicated to Black women and inspires a global audience through diverse storytelling and immersive original content.
Jet - Founded in 1951 by Johnson and Johnson, Jet magazine continues to be a widely read digital magazine focusing on news, culture, and entertainment related to the Black communities.
