“Before 1827, blacks didn’t exist in the newspapers unless they committed a crime. African American weddings, births, deaths, and accomplishments were not to be found in a newspaper anywhere in the United States. But the year 1827 saw big changes. New York finally abolished slavery, and two young black men, John Brown Russwurm and Samuel E. Cornish founded Freedom’s Journal. It was the first African American owned and operated newspaper in the country.”
https://maap.columbia.edu/place/29.html
The first newspaper owned and operated by Africans in America was called Freedom’s Journal. It was founded in 1827 by several free Blacks who wanted to establish a vehicle to spread information, uplift, fortify and unify Blacks and counter the anti-black propaganda prevalent in the early 1800s. “The newspaper was founded by John Wilk, Peter Williams, Jr., and other leading free Blacks in New York City, including orator and abolitionist William Hamilton. The founders intended to appeal to free Blacks throughout the United States, who were desperately attempting to elevate their literacy rate and finding some success at that. At this time, journals became an important aspect of the African American protest tradition, arguing for sociopolitical uplift within the community.” Freedom’s Journal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom%27s_Journal
The paper was edited by Samuel E. Cornish–a minister and pastor of the African Presbyterian Church in New York City, and John Russwurm, the first Black man to earn a college degree in the U.S. The first issue of Freedom’s Journal appeared on March 16, 1827. It was all of four pages. From then on, the paper was published every Friday.
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