Black community newspaper from Phoenix chronicles early years of civil rights movement

PHOENIX – The Arizona Sun was the only newspaper published by and for the Phoenix black community in the years after World War II and during the early years of the civil rights movement. As the population of Phoenix increased, so did the need for a newspaper that covered the racial, political and economic challenges that African Americans faced.

“For several years, from 1943 to 1958, the Arizona Sun was the only African American newspaper published in Phoenix,” said Sativa Peterson, National Digital Newspaper program grant project director and news content program manager for the State of Arizona Research Library. “The paper regularly reported on discrimination practices and urged voters to desegregate Arizona schools. Particularly during Black History Month, it’s important to reflect on the significant role African Americans played in the social, economic, and political history of the City of Phoenix.”

This is one of seven newspaper titles from black communities around Arizona that were digitized by the Arizona State Library in partnership with the University of Arizona Libraries, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Library of Congress’ National Digital Newspaper Program. Issues from 1944 to 1963 of the Arizona Sun will be available on the Arizona Memory Project indefinitely and can be viewed for free on any digital device at http://go.azsos.gov/lrb7.