"California Eagle"

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: SPC-2021-002

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains Vol. 21, issues 10-29 of the "California Eagle"(June 5, 1950-October 19, 1950), one of the oldest black-owned and operated newspapers in the United States during its run from 1979-1964. In its early days, the newspaper provided housing and job information for Black settlers transitioning to life on the West Coast. After Charlotta Bass took over the newspaper in 1912, she started directing the newspaper toward reporting on issues affecting Black and minortiy communities such as racial discrimination and segregation, and other social and political matters.

Digitized issues of the California Eagle, circa 1914-1964 are available on the Internet Archive

Dates

June 5, 1950-October 19, 1950

Creator

California eagle (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Biographical / Historical

The "California Eagle" was one of the oldest black-owned and operated newspapers in the United States during the time of its existence. John James Neimore established the paper as “The Owl” in 1879 to “ease black settlers’ transition to the West” by providing job and housing information. After Neimore’s death in 1912, Charlotta Bass, a journalist and salesperson of “The Owl”, assumed control of the paper renaming it to the “California Eagle”. Along with her husband, John Bass- who was appointed managing editor until his death in 1934, Bass started directing the newspaper toward reporting on social and political issues- such as racial discrimination and segregation, affecting Black communities both locally and nationally. In 1951, Charlotta Bass resigned from the "California Eagle" and sold the paper to Loren Miller, a former "California Eagle" writer and editor, and civil liberties attorney who specialized in housing discrimination. Under Miller’s supervision, the "California Eagle" continued it’s mission to report on social and political issues regarding racial discrimination and segregation. In 1963, Miller sold the paper to 14 local investors after accepting an appointment as a judge of the Superior Court for Los Angeles County, but the "California Eagle" ceased operations on July 7, 1964 after 85 years.

Sources: “Newspapers, The California Eagle, Publisher-Charlotta Bass” Retrieved from: https://www.pbs.org/blackpress/news_bios/ca_eagle.html

“A Look Back at When a Black, Female Newspaper Editor Took on the KKK L.A.” April 2, 2018. Retrieved from https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/charlotta-bass-kkk/

Extent

1 box (one bound volume)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Related Materials

Digitized issues of the California Eagle, circa 1914-1964 are available on the Internet Archive.

Material related to Charlotta Bass and the "California Eagle" can be found at: Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research, USC Digital Library Charlotta Bass/California Eagle Photograph sub collection.