Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper

The Indianapolis Recorder was founded in 1895 when co-publishers, George P. Stewart and Will Porter, decided that their church newsletter could have a far greater outreach within the African American community.[1] They expanded the Indianapolis Recorder to cover local news stories that directly, and specifically, affected African American lives. In 1899, Porter sold his ownership of the newspaper to Stewart, who quickly took control of the African American news scene in Indianapolis.[2] In its early years, the Indianapolis Recorder reported largely on community and local stories, however it later began dedicating more resources to covering national events that impacted African American communities all over America. Columns were written for and about African Americans in Indianapolis, and they often attempted to spread hope and positive news to their readers to inspire individuals, and to remind the African American community of their own prominence in a society that often worked diligently against them.[3]

Before the First World War, the Indianapolis Recorder encouraged African Americans to support the war effort however they could in an attempt to display their patriotism, so that the African American community would in turn be able to enjoy a collective improvement in their quality of life in America.[4] Following the war, however, Indiana’s African American population, and throughout the United States, were instead faced with the resurgence of Ku Klux Klan activity, race riots, and an increase in lynching. When these issues began to escalate throughout American society, the Indianapolis Recorder started covering violent stories and incidents of racially inspired crimes, even when other daily newspapers did not.[5] In a continual attempt to also include stories that spread good news and the accomplishments of African Americans, an emphasis was placed on athletics, which soon became a common sense of pride for the community. This collective pride came in large part thanks to the accomplishments of athletes at Crispus Attucks High School, including Oscar Robertson, but also from other nationally renowned African American athletes emerging at the time, like Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays, who broke many racial barriers.[6] The Indianapolis Recorder also reported on the Civil Rights movement and profiled key figures that many within the African American community looked to for support and encouragement. [7]

The Indianapolis Recorder played an active role in the local Civil Rights movement, while at the same time keeping their readers informed of national Civil Rights events. The front page of the September 15, 1962 edition reports on Mrs. Rebecca Wilson from Georgia, whose husband Roy had been working in Indianapolis for two months. Mrs. Wilson had shot and killed “one of a group of masked white night marauders” who attempted an armed invasion of her family’s Georgia home. The “Ku Klux Klan was suspected” as they had previously shot at the house and burned an eight-foot cross in the yard to try to drive out “the only Negro in the community”. The Indianapolis Recorder offered to pay for Mrs. Wilson’s trip from Georgia to Indianapolis so she could be with her husband. The front page contained other news of local and national significance including a feature story on a northern Indiana professor and minister who was jailed for participating in a “prayer vigil” organized by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. in Albany, Georgia. An adjoining column reported on King’s calls for President John F. Kennedy to take action to curtail the “Nazi-like reign of terror in Southwest Georgia” referring to church bombings, violence, and cross burnings. Details of U.S. Attorney Robert F. Kennedy’s visit to Indianapolis the next week to speak at the Governor’s Conference on Civil Rights to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation rounded out the front page.[8]

In the late 1990s, the Indianapolis Recorder focused on returning to the overall positive tone once used to unite the African American community. [9] By refocusing the paper’s tone on “positive, educational and empowering news that would offer encouragement and support to the community,”[10] the Indianapolis Recorder was able to survive, and has since expanded its influence to nearly 100,000 readers. [11]

The enduring legacy of the Indianapolis Recorder runs deep within the African American community, especially with respect to the enduring opportunities that the Indianapolis Recorder offers for nearby high school students, community directed financial efforts, and aspiring African American journalists.[12] Today, the Indianapolis Recorder building still stands at 2901 N. Tacoma Ave., and is a part of the Ransom Place Historic District listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[13]

[1] “Black and White and Read all Over: The Indianapolis Recorder,” Moment of Indiana History, February 18, 2009, https://indianapublicmedia.org/momentofindianahistory/black-white-read-overthe-indianapolis-recorder/
[2] “About Us,” Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, Accessed June 25, 2020, http://www.indianapolisrecorder.com/site/about.html
[3] “Eyewitness to a Century: The Indianapolis Recorder,” The Indianapolis Recorder, September 2, 2005, https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INR20050902-01.1.8&srpos=2&e=-------en-20-INR-1--txt-txIN-indianapolis+recorder------
[4] “About Us”
[5] Ibid.
[6] “Eyewitness to a Century: The Indianapolis Recorder”
[7] “Recorder,” Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, February 16, 2001, https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INR20010216-01.1.51&srpos=1&e=-------en-20-INR-1--txt-txIN-indianapolis+recorder+history------
[8] Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, September 15, 1962, https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INR19620915-01.1.1&srpos=3&e=-------en-20-INR-1--txt-txIN-%22civil+rights%22+robert+kennedy------
[9] “Eyewitness to a Century: The Indianapolis Recorder”
[10] “Recorder”
[11] “About Us”
[12] Ibid.
[13] “Ransom Place Historic District,” Indian Historical Bureau, Accessed June 25, 2020, https://www.in.gov/history/markers/216.htm

Student Author: Joel Sharp
Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson
Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey

PHOTO & VIDEO:
Indianapolis Recorder Office on Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis Recorder Collection, Indiana Historical Society.
https://images.indianahistory.org/digital/collection/p0303/id/69/rec/14