"We wish to plead our cause. Too long have others spoken for us." This statement, written in 1827, was the lead sentence for an editorial in the first African American publication, Freedom's Journal, published in New York City. From that time until the present there have been more than 3,000 African American newspapers, magazines, and book presses. The African American press, also referred to as the black press, is strongly based on color, that is, on publications that are for black readers, by black staff members and owners, dealing largely with black issues and society. The black press has been largely made up of newspapers, a format that dominated the first 130 years. From the beginning, most newspapers have been driven by a mission—to improve the plight of African Americans. Through the Civil War, the mission was emancipation of slaves followed by later issues of citizenship...