The monitor.
Omaha, Neb. (1915-1928)
The monitor. July 3, 1915, Image 1
- Title:
- The monitor. : (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928
- Place of publication:
- Omaha, Neb.
- Geographic coverage:
- Publisher:
- J.A. Williams
- Dates of publication:
- 1915-1928
- Description:
-
- Vol. 1, no. 1 (July 3, 1915)-v. 14, no. 22 (Nov. 30, 1928).
- Frequency:
- Weekly
- Language:
-
- English
- Subjects:
-
- African Americans--Nebraska--Newspapers.
- African Americans.--fast--(OCoLC)fst00799558
- Nebraska--Omaha.--fast--(OCoLC)fst01204995
- Nebraska.--fast--(OCoLC)fst01208998
- Omaha (Neb.)--Newspapers.
- Notes:
-
- Also issued on microfilm from Nebraska State Historical Society.
- Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
- Whole numbering added with issue for July 1, 1916, beginning with: whole no. 53.
- LCCN:
- 00225879
- OCLC:
- 45351894
- ISSN:
- 2768-5535
- Succeeding Titles:
- Related Links:
- MARC
- Record
Monitor and Omaha Monitor
The Monitor was published as a weekly newspaper from 1915-1928 and continued under the title Omaha Monitor until sometime in 1929. For most of its existence, it described itself as a "National weekly newspaper devoted to the interests of colored Americans." In 1915, subscriptions were $1.00 per year, increasing to $2.00 per year in the 1920s. In addition to national news, it had columns such as "Events and People," "General Race News," and a column on Lincoln, Nebraska, carrying such opinions as whom to send to the NAACP national convention in Detroit. The paper also carried ads, such as "Nile Queen Preparations for Hair and Skin."
The Monitor was published and edited by John Albert Williams, a nationally-known African American Episcopal priest who was also a civil rights activist. Following an anti-lynching lecture by Ida B. Wells in Omaha in 1894, Williams founded the Omaha Anti-Lynching League and served as its president—one of many activist roles he filled as he preached and wrote on behalf of African American issues. While at first the Monitor was a church paper, it quickly began reporting general news about African American issues. In late 1928, the newspaper changed its name to the Omaha Monitor, and it is believed to have folded in 1929.
In 1915, one issue noted that U.S. farm property values were around $1 billion and that statistics showed the success of African Americans in "securing rich tillable land." Similarly, an article reported on Dr. Booker T. Washington's address to the National Negro Business League in Boston, noting that "despite opposition, the reproach of our being a landless people is rapidly rolling away." Washington stated that too many African Americans in cities were living hand to mouth, so farming was an important business opportunity.
In 1921, the paper soberly covered the Tulsa Race Riots and the threat of lynching. According to one of the stories, the African-American community was eyeing the Republican National Committee to see how or if it would intervene. The Monitor also started a relief fund for Tulsa riot victims, noting that many had been injured in the rioting and that Tulsa pastors were pleading for disarmament.
Provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
