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PSfrmfl No, 973
m)t s>abannaf) tribune
lBit? MLK Jr, Ulvri* Sav„ GA 3E415
August 08, 2018 - August 14, 2018
VoL 47 No. 33
Tel: 912-233-6128 • Fas: 912-233-1.1411
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Introduction
The Savannah
Tribune has a proud and
glorious heritage. A week
ly newspaper covering
news and issues related
to Savannah’s African
American community,
The Savannah Tribune,
originally named The Col
ored Tribune, was found
ed and published its first
edition in 1875. Three
African-American civ
ic and business leaders,
John H. Deveaux, Louis
B. Toomer, Sr., and Louis
M. Pleasant, recognized
the need for a newspaper
dedicated to serving the
African-American com
munity in Savannah. Since
it was established, The Tri
bune has always been in
the forefront of positive ef
forts to improve the plight
of African-Americans, and
lift the entire community.
Early Years
The years be
tween U.S. President Abra
ham Lincoln’s Emancipa
tion Proclamation in 1863
and the Reconstruction
Era that began in 1865 at
the end of the Civil War,
ushered in a brief period
of opportunity for southern
African Americans, partic
ularly in the political are
na. During those years, a
black press emerged in the
South. This was a perilous
time for African Americans
in the South. White resis
tance to black progress
percolated during Recon
struction and eventually
resulted in the segregation
policies of the 1890’s and
the reemergence of the
Ku Klux Klan in 1915.
Despite an unfavorable
environment, Savannah
native John H. Deveaux
established The Colored
Tribune with the purpose,
as stated in his first issue,
of defending “the rights
of the colored people, and
their elevation to the high
est plane of citizenship.”
Deveaux, bom
in 1848 to a free black
family, was a prominent
businessman in Savannah
and had sufficient person
al resources to finance the
venture. Many black publi
cations folded with the end
of Reconstruction in 1871.
However, The Tribune sur
vived until 1878, when it
closed because the print
ers in the city, all white,
refused to produce it. De
veaux reopened the paper
in 1886 and served as edi
tor until 1889 when he was
appointed as the Collector
of Customs and moved to
Brunswick, GA. Solomon
“Sol” C. Johnson then as
sumed the editorship, and
later purchased the paper
upon DeVeaux’s death in
143 rd Anniversary Celebration
1909. With the exception
of the hiatuses from 1878
to 1886, and from 1960 to
1973, The Savannah Tri
bune has operated continu
ously.
Sol C. Johnson,
bom in 1868, lived in Sa
vannah since childhood
and managed other thriving
businesses as well. How
ever, the success of the pa
per, according to historian
Jeffrey Alan Turner, can
not be explained merely
with the establishment of
the Atlanta World (later
the Atlanta Daily World),
which became the preemi
nent black newspaper
in the state.
By the
Johnson moved to Savan
nah, in addition to serving
as The Tribune’s editor and
secretary, she also worked
at the Department of
Family and
Chil-
in economic terms. As
he pointed out, “One
does not have to look
hard to find black ed
itors in the South who
spoke out too strongly
against white society.
. . Deveaux and Johnson
must have had a sense for
when they could criticize
the system—as they often
did—and when they need
ed to be cautious.”
During John
son’s editorship, The Tri
bune served as south Geor
gia and north Florida’s only
medium for news about
the injustices of the Jim
Crow era. The paper en
couraged its readership to
resist segregation, particu
larly in Savannah’s street
car system, and covered
such contentious issues as
the Atlanta Race Riot
of 1906, lynchings
around Georgia, the
convict lease sys
tem, and the lack
of educational
opportunities for
black children in
Savannah.
B y
the 1920s, the
newspaper had
moved from a
generally con
ciliatory stance
toward whites
to a more stri
dent voice
for racial
equality. It
also served
as a forum
for the
black lite
rati. James
Weldon
Johnson,
a prom-
i n e n t
Harlem
Renais-
s a n c e
writer,
served
spon-
d e n t
for The Tribune in the
1920’s during his tenure
as executive secretary of
the National Association
for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP).
The Tribune faced signifi
cant competition in 1928
had
1930s
the Dai
ly World
gained a
national
readership. Neverthe
less, The Tribune contin
ued publication.
Sol C. Johnson
ran the publication until
his death in 1954. He was
succeeded by his God
John Deveaux
dren
Services.
Under Ayers
Johnson,
The Sa
vannah Tribune continued
publication until Sep
tember 1960 when it suc
cumbed to a national trend
in the black media and
closed its doors. Industry
analysts attribute this de-
jjfjrJWi WHhtnf.
Re-emergence
After a thir
teen-year hiatus, banker
Robert E. James re-es
tablished The Savannah
Tribune in 1973. He was
owner and publisher until
1983 when his wife, Shir
ley Barber James, became
the second female* pub
lisher and sole owner. A
community leader, Barber
James is a Spelman Col
lege (HBCU) graduate
who earned the Ed.M.
at the Harvard Gradu
ate School of Educa
tion and served as a
Licensed Professional
Counselor at Savannah
State University. Under
the James’ editorship, lo
cal and national news and
issues that are primarily of
interest to African Amer
icans has dominated the
front pages of The Tribune,
along with articles about
local African American
community events. Even
as its primary competitor,
the conservative Savan
nah Morning News, has
diversified its newsroom
and shown an increased
willingness to cover issues
of concern to a black audi
ence, The Tribune's
editors and publish
ers still claim
an import
ant niche in
the Savan-
nah-Cha-
tham County
community
and its sur-
rounding
areas. The
Tribune has
continued its
legacy which
is to champion
African Amer
ican causes and
promote a posi
tive image of the
African American
community.
Another
Surge
daughter, Willa Ayers
Johnson who became the
first female owner and ed
itor. She was a graduate
of Talladega College, an
Historical Black College
and University (HBCU)
in Alabama. When Ayers
dine of the black press
in part to a belief among
readers that, because racial
parity was at hand, black
publications were no lon
ger relevant.
The Savannah
Tribune experienced
an unanticipated surge
during 2002 when well-
known Savannah native
and veteran newspaper
advertising salesperson,
Tanya Milton, returned
to manage the day-to-day
affairs of the publication
as General Manager and
Advertising Sales Direc
tor. Milton started her
newspaper career at The
Savannah Tribune in 1975.
She relocated to Detroit in
November 1978 andjoined
the sales staff of The Black
Secretariat. Several years
later, she moved to Kansas
City as advertising sales
person for the Kansas
City Star & Times. Milton
returned to Savannah in
1981, and spent 21 years as
a prominent member of the
sales team at the Savan
nah Morning News. Her
return to The Tribune has
been key to the newspa
per’s success during a
period when many have
questioned the relevance,
and even likelihood of
survival, of newspapers,
especially small, privately
owned weekly newspapers
such as The Tribune.
A Phoenix
Experience
In January 2006,
an electrical fire scathed
the inside of the newspa
per’s office at 916 Mont
gomery Street in Savannah.
The community rallied
around The Tribune in the
wake of the fire, and Sa
vannah State University,
an HBCU, offered Tri
bune staff members the use
of computers in its journal
ism department. Also com
ing to The Tribune’s assis
tance were The Savannah
Morning News and the Sa
vannah College of Art and
Design.
During the week
of the devastating fire, The
Tribune purchased new
computers and re-located
to another building owned
by Robert E. James at
1805 Martin Luther King,
Jr. Boulevard. The news
paper was able to continue
its proud tradition of never
missing a publication date
since it was re-established
by the James family in
1973. The newspaper is
still housed in the building
on Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard.
As of 2018, Shir
ley Barber James continues
as the paper’s owner, pub
lisher and editor, and The
Savannah Tribune is ready
for another 100 years as
“Georgia’s Best Weekly.”
proudly celebrating 143
years and included in the
191 history of The Black
Press.
Continued on Page 2
\ General Managers,
i Editors & Key Staff
{1973-Present)
Elmer Thomas
| Deborah McIntosh
Marion Chance
Tanya Milton*
| Novella Cross Homes
| Regina Williams
| Michael Singleton
| Angela Crawford
| Wanda Thomas-Lee
John Jackson
Sharon Smiley
Marius Davis
| Tirany Reeves
| *1975-78; 2002-Present
c
arver
s
tatej
B
Louis B. Toomer
Founder and 1st President
Established February 23,1927
91 Years of Service, Leadership and Success
Robert E. James
President Since IDocomher 1971
