Baltimore Afro-American
A weekly African-American newspaper based in Baltimore, Maryland, and the flagship publication of the AFRO-American newspaper chain.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The Baltimore Afro-American, commonly known as The Afro or Afro News, is a weekly African-American newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland. Established in 1892, it is described as the longest-running African-American family-owned newspaper in the United States and serves as the flagship title of the broader AFRO-American newspaper chain. Its history is closely associated with Black civic advocacy, political reporting, civil-rights journalism, community organizing, and the development of African-American print culture. The publication grew out of the Home Protector, a newspaper established and edited by Reverend William Alexander in 1889. On August 13, 1892, a group that included John R. Cole, Charles H. Richardson, James E. Johnson, and William H. Daly helped transform the publication into the Afro-American. The newspaper briefly came under the control of the Northwestern Family Supply Company in 1895, but that company's bankruptcy placed the publication's future in doubt. In 1897, John H. Murphy Sr., then working at the paper's printing press, purchased the printing equipment for $200 with money borrowed from his wife, Martha Howard Murphy. The Murphy family has controlled and operated the paper since that period. John H. Murphy Sr. combined the Afro-American with publications connected to Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, including the Sunday School Helper and the Ledger. Under his leadership, the paper promoted unity within Baltimore's Black community and reported on discrimination in education, employment, housing, transportation, and public accommodations. It also advocated children's education and political participation. The paper opposed Maryland disenfranchisement efforts, including the Poe Amendment in 1905 and the Strauss Amendment in 1908. Murphy was elected president of the National Negro Press Association in 1913. A major expansion came under Carl J. Murphy, who took control in 1922 and served as editor for approximately 45 years. During his tenure, the organization developed multiple editions and reached readers in numerous American cities. At its high point, the chain published two weekly Baltimore editions and regional editions serving communities including Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Richmond, and Newark. In the early twenty-first century, the AFRO-American maintained Baltimore and Washington editions. The newspaper's editorial agenda extended beyond election coverage. It pressed for African-American employment in Baltimore's police and fire departments, greater Black representation in the Maryland legislature, and a state-supported institution of higher education for African Americans. It campaigned against segregated railroad accommodations and unequal pay for Black schoolteachers. Its Clean Block campaign, launched in the 1930s, addressed neighborhood appearance and public safety and developed into an annual community event. The AFRO also became an important source of national and international reporting. During the Second World War, it sent reporters to several overseas theaters and other military regions, including Europe, the Aleutian Islands, Africa, Japan, and the South Pacific. Elizabeth Murphy Phillips Moss, Carl Murphy's daughter and one of the paper's correspondents, is identified as the first Black female war correspondent. The newspaper collaborated with the NAACP on civil-rights cases and supported challenges to segregated educational institutions, including litigation involving the University of Maryland Law School. Its advocacy formed part of the broader movement that culminated in the 1954 Supreme Court decision against segregated public schools. The publication has employed or published work by prominent Black journalists, writers, artists, and intellectuals, including Langston Hughes, William Worthy, J. Saunders Redding, Sam Lacy, and Romare Bearden. In the mid-1930s it hired Lillian Johnson and Nell Dodson, making it an early Black newspaper employer of female sportswriters. Sports editor Sam Lacy used his long-running A to Z column to challenge racial exclusion in professional athletics. After Carl Murphy's death in 1967, Frances L. Murphy II became chairman and publisher. John Murphy III became chairman in 1974 and later served as publisher. The newspaper remains guided by fourth- and fifth-generation descendants of John H. Murphy Sr. In addition to publishing, it participates in journalism education and archival preservation, including a partnership with Morgan State University's journalism and strategic communications programs. Its archives have also been the subject of a university-supported cataloging and digitization project.
History
The Baltimore Afro-American traces its origins to the Home Protector, founded and edited by Reverend William Alexander in 1889. With the involvement of John R. Cole, Charles H. Richardson, James E. Johnson, and William H. Daly, the publication became the Afro-American on August 13, 1892. The paper emerged within Baltimore's Black religious, civic, and business networks and soon developed a role beyond ordinary local reporting. In 1895, the Northwestern Family Supply Company assumed control. The arrangement did not last: the company later failed, and the newspaper's printing machinery was placed on the market in 1897. John H. Murphy Sr., who headed the printing press, bought the equipment for $200 using money borrowed from his wife, Martha Howard Murphy. This transaction secured the paper's survival and began the Murphy family's continuing ownership. Murphy had been born enslaved and had served in the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War, reaching sergeant. After the war he worked in several occupations and became active at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore. He consolidated the Afro-American with church-related publications, including the Sunday School Helper and the Ledger. The resulting newspaper promoted community solidarity, education, political participation, and opposition to racial discrimination. Its reporting and editorial campaigns addressed segregated schools, unequal employment, housing discrimination, public accommodations, and transportation. The paper took an active position against Maryland voting restrictions. In 1905 it encouraged opposition to the Poe Amendment, and in 1908 it continued its resistance to the Strauss Amendment. Murphy's prominence in Black journalism also grew; in 1913 he became president of the National Negro Press Association. Carl J. Murphy took control in 1922 and remained editor for roughly 45 years. He expanded the organization from a Baltimore newspaper into a larger chain serving African-American communities in several cities. At its height, the chain produced two weekly Baltimore editions and regional editions in cities such as Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Richmond, and Newark. Carl Murphy used the editorial pages to advocate for Black appointments in Baltimore's police and fire departments, stronger Black representation in government, and a state-supported institution of higher education for African Americans. The newspaper's civic activism included the Clean Block campaign, launched in the 1930s to improve neighborhood conditions and reduce crime. It also challenged segregated railroad cars and unequal pay for Maryland's Black teachers. In the same period, the paper broadened the representation of Black women in journalism by hiring Lillian Johnson and Nell Dodson as sportswriters. Romare Bearden began his professional artistic career as a cartoonist at the publication in 1936. During World War II, AFRO reporters covered multiple overseas theaters. Elizabeth Murphy Phillips Moss, Carl Murphy's daughter, became a prominent correspondent and is identified in the source material as the first Black female war correspondent. Sports editor Sam Lacy, hired in 1943, used his A to Z column to oppose racial exclusion in professional sports. His work, alongside that of journalists such as Wendell Smith of the Pittsburgh Courier, contributed to sustained public pressure for athletic integration. The AFRO worked with the NAACP on civil-rights litigation, including the challenge to segregated admissions at the University of Maryland Law School. The paper also supported Paul Robeson and W. E. B. Du Bois during the anti-Communist campaigns associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy. In 1932, however, its publication of personal letters involving scientist and Howard University professor Percy Lavon Julian generated controversy and pressure that contributed to Julian's resignation from Howard. After Carl Murphy died in 1967, Frances L. Murphy II became chairman and publisher. John Murphy III became chairman in 1974 and later served as publisher. Both John H. Murphy Sr. and Carl J. Murphy were later inducted posthumously into the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association Hall of Fame, in 2008 and 2015 respectively. The publication continues under fourth- and fifth-generation Murphy descendants. In the modern period, it has maintained Baltimore and Washington editions, operates a digital presence, works with Morgan State University's journalism and strategic communications programs, and has participated in efforts to preserve and organize its historic archives.
- 2015
Carl J. Murphy enters the press hall of fame
[1]Carl Murphy is posthumously inducted into the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association Hall of Fame.
- 2008
John H. Murphy Sr. enters the press hall of fame
[1]Murphy is posthumously inducted into the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association Hall of Fame.
- 2007
University-supported archive project begins
[1]Students from Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, and Goucher College begin organizing the newspaper's historical collections.
- 1974
John Murphy III becomes chairman
[1]John Murphy III is appointed chairman and later becomes publisher.
- 1967
Frances L. Murphy II becomes chairman and publisher
[1]Following Carl J. Murphy's death, leadership passes to his daughter.
- 1943
Sam Lacy joins the sports department
[1]Sam Lacy becomes sports editor and uses his column to campaign for integration in professional sports.
- 1936
Romare Bearden works as a cartoonist
[1]The artist begins his career at the newspaper as a cartoonist.
- 1930
Clean Block campaign begins
[1]The AFRO launches a neighborhood improvement and public-safety campaign that later becomes an annual community activity.
- 1922
Carl J. Murphy takes control
[1]Carl J. Murphy becomes the paper's leading editor and expands its geographic reach through multiple editions.
- 1897
John H. Murphy Sr. preserves the newspaper
[1]Murphy purchases the printing equipment after the failure of the Northwestern Family Supply Company and begins the family's long-term ownership.
Products and positioning
A historically Black, family-owned community newspaper combining local reporting, civil-rights advocacy, political coverage, cultural journalism, sports reporting, and community engagement.
Weekly newspaper · 1892
Baltimore edition
The principal local edition of the AFRO-American, serving Baltimore readers with African-American community news, politics, civil-rights reporting, culture, sports, opinion, and civic information. It is the publication's historic flagship edition.
Weekly newspaper
Washington, D.C. edition
A regional edition serving Washington, D.C., and forming part of the newspaper chain's modern two-city publishing structure. The edition extends the AFRO's community-oriented reporting and African-American civic coverage beyond Baltimore.
Digital publishing
AFRO digital news service
The publication's web presence provides a digital outlet for news, commentary, community coverage, and historical material associated with the AFRO-American brand.
Historical archive
AFRO archives
The newspaper's collections include manuscripts, articles, photographs, and clippings dating from the publication's founding period. University-supported work has sought to inventory, organize, and make portions of the material searchable online.
Controversies
1932
Publication of Percy Lavon Julian's personal letters
The newspaper published personal letters belonging to Percy Lavon Julian, an African-American scientist and Howard University professor. The disclosures generated controversy and pressure that contributed to Julian's resignation from Howard.
Marketing campaigns
- 1943A to Z sports-integration campaign
United States
Sports editor Sam Lacy used his recurring A to Z column to expose racial exclusion in professional sports and advocate for opportunities for Black athletes.
Outcome. The campaign contributed to sustained sports-integration advocacy alongside work by other Black sports journalists.
- 1930Clean Block campaign
Baltimore · United States
A community improvement campaign aimed at cleaner neighborhoods and reduced crime in inner-city areas. The initiative became an annual event and remains associated with the publication's civic identity.
Outcome. The campaign developed into a recurring annual community program.
- 1930Campaign against Jim Crow railroad cars
Maryland · United States
The newspaper challenged the Southern Railroad's use of segregated railroad cars as part of its broader campaign against racial discrimination in public accommodations and transportation.
- 1930Equal-pay campaign for Black schoolteachers
Maryland
The AFRO advocated equal pay for Maryland's Black schoolteachers, linking labor rights and educational equality.
- 1930Civil-rights and public-employment advocacy
Baltimore · Maryland
Through editorials and reporting, Carl J. Murphy pressed for African-American hiring in Baltimore's police and fire departments, Black legislative representation, and a state-supported university for African Americans.
- 1930Collaboration with the NAACP on educational segregation
Maryland · United States
The newspaper worked with the NAACP on civil-rights cases, including litigation challenging segregation in admissions at the University of Maryland Law School.
Outcome. The effort formed part of the broader legal and political movement that preceded the Supreme Court's 1954 ruling against segregated public schools.
- 1908Opposition to the Strauss Amendment
Maryland
The AFRO continued its anti-disenfranchisement advocacy by attacking supporters of the Strauss Amendment.
- 1905Opposition to the Poe Amendment
Maryland
The newspaper urged its readers to oppose the Poe Amendment, which was associated with efforts to disenfranchise Black voters.
Brand decisions
2007
Archive preservation and cataloging partnershipStrategyBackground
The newspaper held extensive unprocessed historical material, including manuscripts, photographs, articles, and clippings.
Action taken
The AFRO worked with students from Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, and Goucher College under an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant to inventory and organize its archives.
Aftermath
The project aimed to support an online searchable database and improve access to the newspaper's historical collections.
1922
Expansion into a multi-city newspaper chainStrategyBackground
Under Carl J. Murphy, the publication had an opportunity to serve a growing African-American readership in Baltimore and other urban centers.
Action taken
Murphy expanded the paper's editions and national reach, eventually serving multiple major cities.
Aftermath
At its peak, the chain published two Baltimore editions and regional editions in cities including Washington, Philadelphia, Richmond, and Newark.
1897
Murphy family assumes ownershipOtherBackground
The Northwestern Family Supply Company had entered control of the paper but later went bankrupt, putting the publication's equipment and future at risk.
Action taken
John H. Murphy Sr. purchased the printing equipment and continued the newspaper with financing borrowed from Martha Howard Murphy.
Aftermath
The transaction began the Murphy family's continuing ownership and operation of the publication.
Purchase price for printing equipment. $200 (1897)
1892
Rebrand from Home Protector to Afro-AmericanStrategyBackground
The publication's founders and investors sought to establish a broader African-American newspaper identity from the earlier Home Protector.
Action taken
The Home Protector became the Afro-American on August 13, 1892.
Aftermath
The new title became the foundation of the later AFRO-American newspaper chain.
Recent events
- 2007
Archival cataloging project begins under a Mellon Foundation grant[1]
Other
Students from Baltimore-area institutions began organizing and describing the newspaper's manuscripts, photographs, articles, and clippings with support from an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant.
- 1940
AFRO war correspondents report from overseas theaters[1]
Other
During World War II, the newspaper deployed reporters to Europe, the Aleutians, Africa, Japan, and parts of the South Pacific for firsthand coverage.
- 1930
The Clean Block campaign becomes a recurring community program[1]
Campaign
The newspaper launched a campaign focused on improving neighborhood appearance and reducing crime in inner-city communities. It later developed into an annual event.
- 1922
Carl J. Murphy expands the newspaper chain[1]
Other
Carl J. Murphy assumed control and expanded the publication into a multi-city African-American newspaper chain with numerous regional editions.
- 1905
The newspaper campaigns against Maryland disenfranchisement amendments[1]
Campaign · Regulation
The Afro-American urged readers to oppose the Poe Amendment and later criticized the Strauss Amendment, both associated with efforts to restrict Black voting rights in Maryland.
- 1897
Afro-American becomes controlled by the Murphy family[1]
Other
After the Northwestern Family Supply Company went bankrupt, John H. Murphy Sr. purchased the newspaper's printing equipment and preserved the publication under Murphy family ownership.
Sources2 sources
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