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Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper The Wisconsin Weekly Blade (Madison, Wis.) 1916-1925 Wisconsin blade

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About The Wisconsin Weekly Blade (Madison, Wis.) 1916-1925

The Wisconsin Weekly Blade was published from 1916 to 1925 and was the first African American newspaper in Madison. It was run by Jarius (J.) Anthony Josey, an Augusta, Georgia native. After attending Atlanta University and gaining journalistic experience as co-editor of the Atlanta Independent, Josey moved to Madison, Wisconsin in 1905. Here, he eventually attended law school at the University of Wisconsin and helped found the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, one of the state’s oldest, predominately African American congregations, in 1911.

Although the state capital’s African American community more than doubled between 1910 and 1930, existing local newspapers paid little attention to it. Josey started the Blade to change that. Run out of his own house, Josey’s newspaper focused on the social and political lives of African American Madisonians and Wisconsinites.

The Blade was a Republican publication and covered many social justice issues, including criticism of African American enlistment during World War I, racial bias in other local newspapers, and advocacy for Black women’s rights. The newspaper also became a medium to promote local African American businesses and served as the official press organ for the orders of Odd Fellows and Household of Ruth in both Wisconsin and Illinois.

Throughout the Blade‘s existence, a variety of other community members, including Reverend Zachary Smith, L.J. Ousley, and attorney George De Reef, contributed to the publication as co-editors. In 1925, Josey moved to Milwaukee where he merged the Blade with the previously irregularly published Milwaukee newspaper Milwaukee Enterprise to form the Wisconsin Enterprise-Blade.

Provided By: Wisconsin Historical Society

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Wisconsin Weekly Blade (Madison, Wis.) 1916-1925

Other Title

  • Wisconsin blade

Names

  • Smith, Z.P., editor
  • Josey, J. Anthony. editor
  • De Reef, G.H., editor
  • Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in America. Jurisdiction of Illinois and Wisconsin

Dates of Publication

  • 1916-1925

Created / Published

  • Madison, Wis. : [publisher not identified], 1916-

Headings

  • -  African Americans--Wisconsin
  • -  Madison (Wis.)--Newspapers
  • -  African Americans
  • -  Wisconsin--Madison
  • -  Wisconsin
  • -  United States--Wisconsin--Dane--Madison

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (June 8, 1916)-
  • -  Ceased in Jan. 1925. Cf. Oehlerts, d. Guide to Wis. newspapers 1833-1957.
  • -  "Member National Negro Press Association."
  • -  "A national journal of opinion and circulation."
  • -  Title varies slightly.
  • -  Editor: June 8-Sept. 7, 1916, Z.P. Smith; June 6-, J.A. Josey; G.H. De Reef.
  • -  " ... speaking to and for many thousand colored citizens."
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  "Official organ of Odd Fellows and Household of Ruth. Illinois and Wisconsin jurisdiction. 7,000 members."
  • -  Wisconsin enterprise-blade (DLC)sn 84025843 (OCoLC)10462422

Medium

  • volumes : illustrations

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn84025842

OCLC Number

  • 10462416

ISSN Number

  • 2768-5403

Succeeding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The Wisconsin Weekly Blade Madison, Wis. -1925. (Madison, WI), Jan. 1 1916. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn84025842/.

APA citation style:

(1916, January 1) The Wisconsin Weekly Blade Madison, Wis. -1925. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn84025842/.

MLA citation style:

The Wisconsin Weekly Blade Madison, Wis. -1925. (Madison, WI) 1 Jan. 1916. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn84025842/.