Tellers NC Central Highlights Power of Southern Black Press As Part Of

The Durham VOICE Story edited by Caleb Schmidt Spring 2020 N.C. Central highlights power of Southern black press as part of Black History Month coverage One example, in particular, is the story of L. Alex Wilson. He was a black reporter for the Tri-State Defender in Tennessee who was famously followed by a mob and beaten while he was attempting to cover the story of the Little Rock Nine in Little Rock, Arkansas, in September 1957. “The idea was to look at a larger piece of America and focus on the South because, as I mentioned in my talk, the Southern black press has had less focus.” Dr. Jerry Gershenhorn Dr. Jerry Gershenhorn speaks to a room of students, faculty and Durham resi- dents during his lecture, “The Power of the Press: Southern Black Journalists and the 20th Century Freedom Struggle,” in Hubbard-Totten Building Wilson showed perseverance by Auditorium at NCCU on Tuesday afternoon. (Staff photo by Victor Hensley) continuing to get up and walk down the Victor Hensley 1939 to 1976, who turned out to be a paid street even after taking blows to his body. While many classrooms across the informant for the Mississippi Sovereignty Despite taking a fairly bad beating, Wilson country tell the stories of often-celebrat- Commission—a commission established managed to make it to his hotel and write ed black figures and events during Black by the Mississippi Legislature to act as a up an article on what happened, later pub- History Month, one professor decided to watchdog for anyone that threatened “the lished in the Tri-State Defender. He died a take a different route by shining a light on southern state’s racist way of life,” accord- couple of years later due to complications an underrepresented industry. ing to Timeline’s Nina Renata Aron. he suffered from his injuries that day. As part of his world societies course “I remember seeing him in the docu- Tuesday afternoon, Terry Mosley, a mentary ‘13th,’ by Ava DuVernay, and professor in the department of history they showed footage of him being beat, at North Carolina Central University, Stories from but I never knew who that man was,” said brought in Dr. Jerry Gershenhorn, a pro- Dorrell Briscoe, the pastor at The Six- fessor of history at NCCU, to give a guest unheard story- :Eight Church in Durham. “Our church, lecture titled “The Power of the Press: for Black History Month, is highlighting Southern Black Journalists and the 20th activists and telling their stories, so we’re Century Freedom Struggle.” tellers going to be telling his story because of Gershenhorn has taught at N.C. this.” Central for over 25 years; wrote the book, Gershenhorn reminded everyone at the “Louis Austin and The Carolina Times: A end of his lecture that the Southern black Life in the Long Black Freedom Strug- During the Civil Rights Movement, press did not die with the Jim Crow era in gle,” that was published in 2018; and has Greene was a controversial topic and America. It is very much alive today. researched the black press in the American caused a major rift within the black jour- According to Gershenhorn, there are South for many years. nalist community. around 150 black-owned newspapers in “The idea was to look at a larger “There’s always going to be debates the United States today, with nine of those piece of America and focus on the South within communities. There were abso- operating in North Carolina—including because, as I mentioned in my talk, the lutely differences about tactics, strategies, The Carolina Times, Durham’s longstand- Southern black press has had less focus,” short-term goals, stuff like that,” Ger- ing black newspaper. Gershenhorn said. shenhorn said. “That’s one of the stories “When I’ve done talks, I meet people The talk, which was open to the pub- that’s somewhat disheartening but kind of who have been reading (The Carolina lic along with Mosley’s students, was amazing to me.” Times) for many decades. I think peo- an hour-long dive into notable figures The emphasis on violence against the ple are still interested,” Gershenhorn involved in the Southern black press and Southern black press was evident during said. “It still has a place to play because, included stories of violence, division and Gershenhorn’s lecture, as he told stories of sometimes, things still aren’t reported in perseverance. journalists who were beaten in the streets, the white-dominated press. It’s different, Among the topics discussed by Ger- threatened with lynching, harassed by certainly, than it was then, but there’s still shenhorn was the complicated story of having their property destroyed and jailed a role for small community papers, black Percy Greene. He was the black editor of after being charged with questionable or white.” the Jackson Advocate in Mississippi from offenses..

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