The
Call and Post was established around 1928 by a group of people including local African-American inventor
Garrett A. Morgan, as a merger between the
Cleveland Call and the
Cleveland Post, two newspapers that had been serving the African-American community since 1916 and 1920 respectively.
William Otis "W.O." Walker, a black Republican who had been co-founder of the
Washington Tribune, became editor in 1932. The
Call and Post provided extensive coverage of the social and religious life in the African-American community, and was known to feature sensational coverage of violence on its front page. The publication also extensively covered
Larry Doby, the first black player to successfully integrate into the
American League's
Cleveland Indians baseball franchise. Reporter Cleveland Jackson communicated extensively with Indians owner and team president
Bill Veeck before Doby was signed by the Indians in
1947. With the influence of editor and publisher William O. Walker from 1932 until his death in 1981, the
Call and Post established itself as the most influential voice for African-Americans in Cleveland and ultimately all Ohio. It earned praise as one of the finest African-American newspapers in the country. As early as 1934, the
Call and Post was active in calling for public involvement in the
Scottsboro case. In 1952, a former
Call and Post reporter,
Simeon Booker, became the first African-American reporter at
The Washington Post. After moving to new offices in 1959, the
Call and Post began to publish with
offset printing. It was one of the first newspapers in Ohio to use the new technique. The
Call and Post filed for bankruptcy in 1995, but was purchased in 1998 by boxing promoter
Don King. The
Call and Post covers local news in Cleveland,
Columbus, and
Cincinnati, along with arts and entertainment in its
CP2 (
Call & Post 2nd edition) tabloid. The
Call And Post was inducted into the first class of the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame in August 2013 at the Watjen Auditorium at
Cleveland State University. It is currently located at 11800 Shaker Blvd. Cleveland, Ohio 44120. ==See also==