The Call (Kansas City)

The Call (Kansas City)
Name	The Call
Type	Weekly newspaper
Foundation	1919
Founders	Chester A. Franklin
Headquarters	Kansas City, Missouri
Publisher	The Call Publishing Company
Political	African-American advocacy, Civil rights movement
Language	English

The Call (Kansas City)

The Call is a historic African-American weekly newspaper founded in Kansas City, Missouri in 1919. It served as a primary voice for the city's Black community and a crucial instrument for civil rights advocacy, documenting and driving local activism throughout the 20th century. The newspaper's consistent reporting on racial discrimination, police brutality, and segregation made it an indispensable chronicle of the struggle for equality in the Midwestern United States.

Founding and Early History

The newspaper was founded in 1919 by Chester A. Franklin, who moved to Kansas City from Denver. Franklin established The Call with a small investment, aiming to provide a platform for African-American news and perspectives absent from the city's mainstream white press. Its founding coincided with the era of the Great Migration and heightened racial tensions following World War I. Early editions focused on community building, reporting on churches, fraternal orders, and social events, while also condemning lynchings and Jim Crow laws. The paper quickly became a trusted institution within the Kansas City Black community.

Role in the Kansas City Civil Rights Movement

Throughout the mid-20th century, The Call functioned as the central communications hub for the Kansas City civil rights movement. It reported extensively on local segregation in public accommodations, housing discrimination, and employment discrimination. The newspaper's coverage was instrumental in mobilizing the community, framing local injustices within the broader national fight for civil and political rights. It provided a counter-narrative to segregationist viewpoints and was a key tool for organizations like the local chapter of the NAACP to publicize their activities and goals.

Key Campaigns and Protests

The Call was directly involved in promoting and covering major local campaigns. It was a persistent advocate for the desegregation of Kansas City's public schools, Swope Park and its amusement park, and downtown department stores and lunch counters. The paper gave detailed accounts of sit-ins, picketing, and boycotts organized by local activists. One significant campaign it championed was against the discriminatory hiring practices at Kansas City Power and Light Company and other major utilities and retailers. Its reporting often included names of businesses practicing discrimination, applying public pressure for change.

Leadership and Notable Members

Founder and publisher Chester A. Franklin led the paper until his death in 1955, establishing its editorial stance of assertive yet respectful advocacy. After his death, leadership passed to his wife, Ada C. Franklin, and later to his daughter, D. Dolores Franklin. Lucile Bluford, a renowned journalist and civil rights activist, served as managing editor and later publisher for decades. Bluford's own legal battle against racial discrimination—after being denied admission to the University of Missouri's journalism school—was frequently covered in the paper's pages. Other notable staff included editor and columnist Herman A. Johnson.

Relationship with National Civil Rights Organizations

The Call maintained strong ties with national civil rights organizations, amplifying their messages and reporting on their activities. It had a particularly close relationship with the NAACP, regularly publishing columns by leaders like Roy Wilkins and Walter White. The paper covered major national events such as the ''Brown v. Board of Education'' decision, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and the work of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), connecting them to local struggles in Kansas City.

Legacy and Impact

The legacy of The Call is that of a vital community institution that documented and propelled the African-American freedom struggle in a major Midwestern city. It preserved the history of local activism and provided a model for the Black press as an agent of social change. The newspaper continues to publish, making it one of the longest-running African-American newspapers in the United States. Its archives serve as an essential primary source for historians studying journalistic history, Midwestern African-American history, and the civil rights movement beyond the American South.