Synopses & Reviews
Giving voice to the voiceless, the Chicago Defender condemned Jim Crow, catalyzed the Great Migration, and focused the electoral power of black America. Robert S. Abbott founded The Defender in 1905, smuggled hundreds of thousands of copies into the most isolated communities in the segregated South, and was dubbed a "Modern Moses," becoming one of the first black millionaires in the process. His successor wielded the newspaper’s clout to elect mayors and presidents, including Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy, who would have lost in 1960 if not for The Defender’s support. Along the way, its pages were filled with columns by legends like Ida B. Wells, Langston Hughes, and Martin Luther King.
Drawing on dozens of interviews and extensive archival research, Ethan Michaeli constructs a revelatory narrative of race in America and brings to life the reporters who braved lynch mobs and policemen’s clubs to do their jobs, from the age of Teddy Roosevelt to the age of Barack Obama.
Review
“A fascinating account of the legendary black newspaper that spoke truth to power, fought for equality and made history.” Minneapolis Star Tribune
Review
“This prodigiously researched work is a testament to the courage of Defender writers through the century, a chronicle of the influence of an important institution — and a sweeping history of black America.” The National Book Review
Review
“An extraordinary history…Deeply researched, elegantly written…a towering achievement that will not be soon forgotten.” Brent Staples, New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
Veteran reporter Ethan Michaeli tells the story of Chicago's iconic black newspaper, the family and the journalists who made it great, and the hidden history of black America in the twentieth century.
About the Author
ETHAN MICHAELI is an award-winning author, publisher and journalist based in Chicago. He was a copy editor and investigative reporter at The Defender from 1991 to 1996.