# @sachistorymuseum on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DHRGneWJXfl
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/76082649-sachistorymuseum-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/1af071dc8b.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-03-16T16:40:31.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Sacramento History Museum (@sachistorymuseum) — https://gondola.cc/sachistorymuseum

## Caption

March 16th is Black Press Day, an annual observance of the publication of the first Black-owned newspaper in the United States. The “Freedom’s Journal” in New York City was first published on this day in 1827. John Brown Russwurm and Samuel Eli Cornish started the paper to not only share the news for New York’s Black community, but also campaigned to abolish slavery in the South and raise awareness and fight against racial discrimination in the North.

The first Black-owned newspaper in California was the “Mirror of the Times, which was published in San Francisco in October 1856. Sacramento would not have an African American published newspaper until 1906. That newspaper was “The Forum,” published at 6th and P Streets at Shiloh Baptist Church by Rev. J. Gordon McPherson. Only one edition was published, however. 

The next African American newspaper in Sacramento was the “Western Review” in 1914 but ceased publication in 1920. The “Sacramento Outlook” published from 1942 until 1962. The paper was sold to William H. Lee, Geno Gladden, and John W. Cole to form a new newspaper. The Sacramento Observer first published its newspaper on November 22, 1962. The Sacramento Observer has won more than 600 awards, including the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s Russwurm Trophy for the country’s best African American newspaper 6 times. Larry Lee, son of William H. Lee, has followed in his father’s footsteps continuing The Observer, which has been in business for over 60 years.

In this video, Jared discusses the history of California African American owned newspapers and letterpress prints “The Sacramento Observer” using 15 line wood type made by the Hamilton Wood Type Company in the 1880s. This was printed with black rubber base ink using our Washington hand press.
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#OnThisDay #TodayInHistory #BlackPress #blackhistory #typography #california #woodtype #powerofthepress #SacHistoryMuseum #sacramento #museum #history #letterpress #printingpress #oldsacramento #printmaking #art #printing

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## Credits

No public credits are recorded here. This does not identify who made the post.

## Tags

typography, sachistorymuseum, blackhistory, history, letterpress, sacramento, printingpress, todayinhistory, printmaking, museum, blackpress, woodtype, powerofthepress, art, printing, oldsacramento, california, onthisday

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