The Crisis

The Crisis
Cornelius Marion Battey · Public domain · source
Title	The Crisis
Caption	Cover of the first issue, November 1910
Editor	W.E.B. Du Bois (1910–1934), Roy Wilkins (1934–1949), James Weldon Johnson (1949–1955), Henry Lee Moon (1955–1974), Warren Marr II (1974–1980), Chester Higgins Sr. (1980–1997), Jabari Asim (1997–2007), Victoria Valentine (2007–present)
Frequency	Monthly (1910–1997), Quarterly (1997–present)
Category	Political, Literary
Company	NAACP
Founded	1910
Founder	W.E.B. Du Bois
Firstdate	November 1910
Country	United States
Language	English
Website	https://www.thecrisismagazine.com/

The Crisis is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Founded in 1910 by W.E.B. Du Bois, it is one of the oldest and most influential publications dedicated to African-American affairs, civil rights, and literature in the United States. The magazine has served as a vital platform for documenting racial injustice, advocating for political and social equality, and nurturing African-American literature and arts.

History and founding

The magazine was established in November 1910, just one year after the founding of the NAACP itself. Its creation was a direct outcome of the Niagara Movement, an earlier civil rights organization led by Du Bois. The name "The Crisis" was taken from a poem by James Russell Lowell, reflecting the publication's mission to report on and analyze the critical issues facing Black Americans. The first issue was published from the New York City offices of the NAACP, with Du Bois serving as its editor and principal writer. Its founding was a strategic move to provide an independent voice that could counter the pervasive racist narratives in mainstream American media and to mobilize public opinion for the nascent civil rights struggle.

Role in the NAACP

As the house organ of the NAACP, The Crisis has been integral to the organization's mission. It functioned as the primary communication tool to the association's membership, reporting on lynchings, Jim Crow laws, voter suppression, and other forms of racial discrimination. The magazine also detailed the NAACP's legal strategies, including its work on landmark cases like Brown v. Board of Education. It helped to fundraise and build support for the organization's campaigns, such as the Anti-lynching movement led by activists like Ida B. Wells. While editorially independent, its content has always been aligned with the NAACP's broader goals of securing political, educational, social, and economic equality.

Editorial leadership and W.E.B. Du Bois

The magazine's character was profoundly shaped by its founding editor, W.E.B. Du Bois, who led it for its first 24 years. A towering intellectual and a founder of the NAACP, Du Bois used the magazine to articulate his philosophy, which combined scholarly analysis with impassioned advocacy. His editorials were forceful calls for immediate civil and political rights, contrasting with the more accommodationist approach of Booker T. Washington. After Du Bois's resignation in 1934, subsequent editors included notable figures like Roy Wilkins, who later became the NAACP's executive secretary, and James Weldon Johnson, the celebrated writer and activist. Later editors, including Henry Lee Moon and Jabari Asim, continued to steer the publication through different eras of the Civil Rights Movement and beyond.

Content and literary significance

Beyond its political reporting, The Crisis has held immense literary and cultural importance. Under Du Bois, it actively promoted the Harlem Renaissance by publishing the early work of major African-American writers, poets, and artists. Its pages featured contributions from Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, and Claude McKay. The magazine also showcased visual art and commentary on African-American culture. A regular feature, "The Horizon," provided news briefs and Du Bois's commentary, while other sections reviewed books and reported on international affairs affecting the African diaspora. This commitment made it a central organ for Black intellectual and artistic expression.

Impact on civil rights and public opinion

The Crisis played a crucial role in shaping the narrative of the Civil Rights Movement for decades. Its investigative journalism and graphic documentation of racial violence, such as the 1917 East St. Louis riots, shocked the conscience of the nation and galvanized support for anti-lynching legislation. During World War I and World War II, it highlighted the paradox of Black soldiers fighting for democracy abroad while being denied it at home, coining the influential "Double V campaign" slogan during the latter conflict. By providing a sustained, factual record of injustice, it educated both Black and white readers, influencing public opinion and helping to build a national constituency for civil rights reform.

Circulation and financial challenges

At its peak under Du Bois in the early 1920s, the magazine's circulation reached over 100,000 copies per month, an extraordinary figure for a periodical of its kind. However, it frequently faced financial difficulties. Its uncompromising stance sometimes led to conflicts with the NAACP's more conservative board members, concerned about its militant tone affecting broader organizational funding. These tensions contributed to Du Bois's eventual departure. Throughout its history, the magazine has relied on subscriptions, NAACP subsidies, and advertising to survive, experiencing fluctuations in readership that reflected both its editorial direction and the changing media landscape.

Legacy and modern relevance

The legacy of The Crisis is profound. It is widely regarded as a foundational institution in African-American journalism and letters. Its archives provide an indispensable primary source for historians studying 20th-century American history, the Long civil rights movement, and African-American studies. Today, under the editorship of Victoria Valentine, the magazine continues as a quarterly publication, adapting to the digital age while maintaining its core mission. It addresses contemporary issues such as mass incarceration, voting rights, police brutality, and educational inequality, proving that the "crisis" in racial justice it was founded to confront remains persistently relevant in the 21st century.