Many daunting challenges remain but in many respects, the landscape of our region and indeed the country is quite different from what it was 96 years ago. The separate and unequal existence that is perpetuated by institutional racism is still a harsh reality for many citizens, especially Black Americans. Historically their plight fell mostly upon deaf ears among the complicit mainstream press. (More recently some mainstream newspapers have accepted responsibility for their past negative reporting and editorials. In December 2020, the Kansas City Star apologized for decades of their racist coverage of Black people).
For many years after the American Civil War until the civil rights movement of the 1960s and beyond, white-owned newspapers across the South unabashedly encouraged white supremacy. It was in response to this hostile media environment that a group of frustrated businessmen and civic leaders pooled their resources to establish a media outlet that covered the dire circumstances faced by the Black St. Louis community.
We want to thank our loyal print and digital readers, our rapidly growing online audience as well as our advertisers and donors – who have helped keep our print product and digital platforms completely free to the public.
And though much has changed, several issues raised in the inaugural edition of The St. Louis American – which hit newsstands on March 17, 1928 – remain obstacles that prevent St. Louis from becoming its inclusive, prosperous top-tier city. As we celebrate our 96th uninterrupted year of publication, The American continues to work towards being relevant in the continually changing media environment. We remain committed to honoring the intention of our founders.
The American was founded in 1928 by Judge Nathan B. Young and several prominent African American entrepreneurs and community leaders – including the legendary Homer G. Phillips. With humble, but idealistic beginnings, The American launched as an eight-page tabloid with a circulation of just over 2,000.
Later that year, Nathaniel Sweets joined The St. Louis American as an advertising manager. His devotion helped solidify the paper as a beloved St. Louis cultural treasure and a leading voice for the Black community. “The American should carry news tailored to the African American community and anybody who wants to know about it,” Sweets was quoted as saying. He served as publisher of The American for more than 45 years.
Throughout the 1940s, ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, The American continued to gain respect and readership, due to its legendary editor Bennie G. Rodgers. It was his 50-plus year tenure with The American that led to his being dubbed as “Dean of Black journalism in St. Louis.”
Over the decades, The American became a trusted source for the Black community with its reporting of issues ranging from breaking news and politics to religion, business, education, sports and entertainment. The American also earned a sense of ownership from the community thanks to a “for us, by us” editorial model.
As we extend into the middle of the third decade of the 21st Century, there is much to celebrate. Among them is The American’s evolution from an eight-page tabloid print product, to a multi-media brand that reaches a combined audience of close to half a million monthly readers in print and our digital and social media platforms. We want to thank our loyal print and digital readers, our rapidly growing online audience as well as our advertisers and donors – who have helped keep our print product and digital platforms completely free to the public.
Much of the credit for our success has been due to our American team. Our staff is to bring responsible journalism to the community on a daily basis and committed to produce events that recognize and celebrate individual Black excellence – and they do so with collegiality and mutual respect. We take pride in the fact that several members of our organization have spent more than 20 years of their professional lives as part of The American family, Kevin M. Jones, our Chief Operating Officer served the American for more than three decades, a distinction shared by very few media outlets. We are deeply grateful to them and all of our team members – past and present – for their hard work, professionalism, dedication and commitment to our mission of service to the community.
We want to continue to provide exceptional journalism for our print readers, online audience, social media followers, advertisers and attendees at our recognition events. In the spirit of our founders, we will remain steadfast in using our platforms to help foster equity and inclusion– which is still a work in progress for the St. Louis area nearly a century after Judge Young, Homer G. Phillips and their colleagues, united to offer journalism that sheds light on the necessity for constructive change.
We would like to again express our gratitude to those who have supported The American from then until now – it would be impossible to continue this work without your support.
The American looks forward to connecting and engaging with a new generation on our growing digital platforms enabled by innovative technology. This transformation will allow us to extend the legacy of the American brand and continue to carry out our mission for generations to come.
Donald M. Suggs has been the publisher of The St. Louis American since 1984.
