Two Black community newspapers from Tucson now on the Arizona Memory Project

PHOENIX – Global and national events like the Great Depression and World War II affected the Black communities of Tucson as they did the rest of the country. Published from 1926 through 1934, The Arizona Times covered news of the economy and issues facing Black communities across the country, including Jim Crow and segregation. Tucson’s short-lived Arizona’s Negro Journal was published from 1942 to 1943 and included news from Fort Huachuca and the War. Coverage also included civil rights issues and local community news.

 “In addition to covering local news, both Tucson-based newspapers printed news stories from across the nation on issues facing Black Americans such as segregation, Jim Crow, race relations and political disenfranchisement,” said Sativa Peterson, news content program manager for the State of Arizona Research Library. “These newspapers provide a glimpse into society at the time they were created.”  

Sixteen issues of The Arizona Times from 1926 and 1927 are available. Through a partnership with the Arizona Historical Society in Tucson, eight issues from 1942 of Arizona’s Negro Journal are also available on the Arizona Memory Project indefinitely and can be viewed using any digital device at http://go.azsos.gov/theaztimes and http://go.azsos.gov/aznjournal.

For questions about this or any digital collection, or for cultural institutions interested in sharing collections on the Arizona Memory Project, contact [email protected].