MSR Legacy Archives

Many of our readers will surely recognize friends, family and neighbors from the distant and not-so-distant past — such as one or more of the “tots” pictured below, featured in the August 3, 1951 issue of the Minneapolis Spokesman.

Seldom photographed together are two of the men pictured above, Walter White, secretary of the NAACP, and Lester Granger, executive secretary of the National Urban League, top officials of the two most powerful interracial organizations in America. White and Granger “call most of the signals and carry the ball” in most of the moves to further the cause of the American Negro.

As part of our celebration over the next several months of 80 years of continuous publication, the MSR will be republishing notable stories from our extensive archives of more than 4,000 weekly issues of African American news in Minnesota.

Many of our readers will be sure to recognize friends, family and neighbors from the distant and not-so-distant past — and famous historical personages such as the incomparable Paul Robeson, interviewed by a Minneapolis Spokesman staff writer for the December 15, 1944 issue.

Over the years, the Minneapolis Spokesman and St. Paul Recorder employed dozens of young men and women as “newsies” to help deliver and sell the newspapers. The young man below, age 5½, was featured as “Star Newsie” in the July 32, 1937 issue of the St. Paul Recorder.