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Black Studies

A selective guide to recommended research resources in Black Studies

Newspaper Research Guide

Newspapers
A comprehensive guide to the library's subscription newspapers and news resources in print, on microfilm and online. It covers both current and historical sources that can be accessed in the Library or online.

Featured Newspaper

The Crisis
The Crisis was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois and is the official publication of the NAACP. It features African American commentary on current affairs. In the past, it has also featured African American literature prominently, and was one of the major magazines of the Harlem Renaissance.

Current News

Ethnic NewsWatch
Includes current newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and community publications from ethnic, minority, and indigenous presses. Also includes scholarly journals on ethnicities and ethnic studies. Includes:

  • New York Amsterdam News
  • New Pittsburgh courier
  • Los Angeles Sentinel
  • Philadelphia Tribune
  • Baltimore Afro-American
  • Chicago Defender

Factiva
Provides full text of articles from over 8,000 newspapers in 22 languages from 118 countries. Usually no photographs, graphs or other images are included.

PressReader 
Provides access to over 2,000 U.S. and international titles from over 100 countries in 56 languages displayed in their original format and layout. 

Historical - Canada

Abolitionist newspapers of the 1850s (Ontario) - Ontario has a rich history of Black publishing. This new site offers full-text searching and browsing of three publications: The Voice of the Fugitive; The Provincial Freeman; and The True Royalist and Weekly Intelligencer.

Under a Northern Star - presents seven collections at Library and Archives Canada that document the experiences of African Canadians. These historical papers and photographs reveal the life and work of people who fought against slavery and racism.

Also:

Globe and Mail: Canada's Heritage from 1844
Archive of The Globe and Mail newspaper, and its earlier title, The Globe.

Toronto Star
Archive of the Toronto Star, from 1894 - approx. 3 years ago.

Historical - American

African American Newspapers 1827-1998
This database features 280 newspapers from 35 states, including many rare and historically significant 19th-century titles.

African American Periodicals, 1825-1995
Features more than 170 wide-ranging periodicals by and about African Americans. Published in 26 states, the publications include academic and political journals, commercial magazines, institutional newsletters, organizations bulletins, annual reports and other genres. 

African American Newspapers: The 19th Century
This enormous collection of African American newspapers contains a wealth of information about cultural life and history during the 1800s.

The Black Panther
Microfilm: The Blank Panther newspaper, 1967-1980.
Digital: selective issues in Black Thought and Culture

Black Studies Center
Includes the full text of the Chicago Defender, 1910-1975.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Includes various American newspapers dating back to the 18th century.

New York Times
Full text of the New York Times from 1851 to 4 years ago. Index for 1851-1993.