Beginnings When the
Tribune began publication in 1884, it was a weekly, one-page paper, publishing from 725 Sansom Street. Despite the challenges black businesses faced during the late nineteenth century, especially in journalism, the
Tribune enjoyed unusual success during its early years, and it averaged 3,225 copies weekly by 1887. In 1891, Perry and the
Tribune received national recognition when
Garland Penn, a prominent advocate for African-American journalism, praised the Philadelphia newspaper in his book
The Afro-American Press and Its Editors. In his book, Penn complimented the ''Tribune's
consistency and reliability. However, the Tribune
was not the only African-American newspaper circulating in Philadelphia at the time. The Tribune
competed against other African-American newspapers during its first few decades, such as The Philadelphia Standard Echo
, The Philadelphia Sentinel
, The Philadelphia Defender
, and The Courant
. But by 1900, the Tribune'' became the leading voice of Black Philadelphia, and
W. E. B. Du Bois referred to it as "the chief news-sheet" in the city.
Post-Reconstruction migration After
Reconstruction ended in 1877, many African Americans from the South migrated to northern cities in search of a better life. The city went through a fundamental transformation as African Americans flooded the city looking for jobs. Rhodes and the
Tribune wrote articles to help African Americans improve their standard of living during the difficult times. The newspaper provided information on relief help by advertising black social organizations, churches, and schools. Also, by 1930,
Tribune and the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) of Philadelphia would report unfair employment practices by local businesses, and the negative publicity would pressure the businesses into reassessing their hiring process. When
Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced his
New Deal program in 1933, the
Tribune covered the new federal relief agencies and exposed the discrimination some of the programs practiced against African Americans. Although Roosevelt and the New Deal aimed to assist struggling Americans, the
Tribune faced a political dilemma. Historically, the
Tribune had supported the
Republican Party because of its ties to
Abraham Lincoln and the
Abolitionists. In order to keep Republicans in control of local and State politics, Rhodes and the
Tribune remained loyal to the party of Lincoln and criticized Roosevelt and his
Democratic Party. The confusing message the
Tribune offered allowed other African-American newspapers in Philadelphia to gain readers. In 1935, the
Philadelphia Independent openly supported Roosevelt and the Democrats, and surpassed the
Tribune as the most popular African-American newspaper in Philadelphia with 30,000 weekly subscribers. In the mid-1930s, Rhodes introduced new elements to the paper as a way to gain more readers. He added an editorial that showcased African-American achievements and also a comic strip to the weekly paper. However, some argue Rhodes used these new elements to promote middle-class values that reflected the principles of the Republican Party.
Sponsored Basketball The rise of women's basketball in Philadelphia came when many young African American women moved to the city from the south due to the Great Migration. Teams loosely organized based on neighborhood or local YWCA that sponsored educational classes and athletic teams to team the migrant's new skills. During the Great Depression in 1931 The
Tribune, who had long been an advocate of athletics, decided to organize a women's basketball team. The
Tribune had been covering women's sports for over a decade and been sponsoring a men's basketball team since the fall of 1929. On November 13, 1931, the
Philadelphia Tribune Newsgirls made their debut at the Catherine Street YWCA in Philadelphia. The starting five for the Newsgirls consisted of Ruth Lockley, Ann Carrington, Rose Wilson, Louise Hall and Louise "Dick" Hill. The pinnacle of the Newsgirls first season game in the city Championship against the German Town Hornets. The Newsgirls' record for their first season was 31-5 and also won the National Colored Championship title. The Newsgirls picked up Ora Washington, the greatest performer in the woman's ranks, to play for the next season. The Tribune Girls continued to dominate woman's basketball for the next several years. The Newsgirls went onto win several city and national championships in their eleven-year existence from 1931 to 1942. Otto Briggs had to resign from his position in the Tribune due to his declining health. Robert Bryant became the new coach for the 1941–42 season. Bryant was an ordained minister and was then called to serve as an army chaplain. The Tribune girls continued their season, unfortunately becoming the last season the Tribune girls would play. Eventually, head coach Otto Briggs died on October 27, 1943. His death, coupled with the changing interest of the reading publics away from basketball and into World War 2 content killed off one of the most successful African American women's basketball team ever. Otto Briggs left his mark on African American women's basketball by using the
Philadelphia Tribune to promote sport.
Civil rights During the 1920s, after
John Asbury and
Andrew Stevens became the first African Americans elected to the
Pennsylvania State legislature, the
Tribune increased its political activity in the city. In 1921, when the State legislature introduced an Equal Rights Bill, the
Tribune reported which representatives opposed it. The paper remained a strong advocate for the bill until 1935, when Pennsylvania passed a state Equal Rights Bill. Also during the 1920s and 1930s, the
Tribune played a monumental role in officially ending segregation in Philadelphia schools. Upset over the Philadelphia School Board's lack of action to end segregation, the
Tribune organized the Defense Fund Committee in 1926. It collected funds to support a court challenge to the school board. By 1932, the
Tribune succeeded in gaining appointment of African Americans to the School Board, which eventually ended segregation in Philadelphia's public schools. Thanks to the
Tribunes coverage of and coalition with the NAACP, Philadelphia captured national attention in 1965 when demonstrators protested to end segregation at
Girard College. It had been established as a high school to educate poor boys in the city but historically had admitted only whites.
Martin Luther King Jr. visited Philadelphia, strengthening the city and the
Tribunes connection to the national
civil rights movement. == See also ==