Black History Month: John H. Murphy Sr.
Originally Published
2022/02/04
John H. Murphy, Sr.
Dec 25th 1840-April 5th 1922
John H. Murphy Sr., purchased the Baltimore Afro-American in 1897, now currently the longest-running African-American family-owned newspaper in the United States. Murphy promoted unity in the Black community of Baltimore while combating racial discrimination. He also was a crusader and advocate for children's education.
John Henry Murphy was born into slavery in Baltimore on Christmas Day 1840. It is believed he was enslaved until he was 24 years old, when he joined the service for the Civil War and rose to the rank of sergeant. He married and raised 10 children in Baltimore, his son Carl J. Murphy took over the newspaper. Murphy helped build the Black community in Baltimore by sharing their news, pressing for civil rights, and reporting on abuses.
John grew the Afro publication to 100 staff members. He was an outspoken advocate for justice and exposed racism in education, jobs, housing, and public accommodations. In 1913, he was elected president of the National Negro Press Association. His advocacy helped African Americans by pressuring the Maryland state legislature to not follow the example of other southern states and disenfranchise Black voters. African Americans struggled with discrimination in the city but maintained more freedom and political power than other communities, particularly in other southern states.
By the time of his passing, John had grown the newspaper from a one-page weekly church publication into the most widely circulated Black paper along the coastal Atlantic. He used it to challenge Jim Crow practices in Maryland and put pressure on the federal government.
John's story is incredibly inspiring. He built a lasting legacy based on his principles of liberation. He understood the function of freedom is to free someone else. John added incredible value to his city and community to which we are all indebted. Today, John is laid to rest in the Mount Auburn Cemetery, a historic African American cemetery in Baltimore.
John H. Murphy, Sr., was honored on March 29, 1944 when a liberty ship was named after him.
Civic leaders, religious leaders, relatives, and his community were on hand.
A newspaper succeeds because its management believes in itself, in God and in the present generation. It must always ask itself - Whether it has kept faith with the common people; Whether it has no other goal except to see that their liberties are preserved and their future assured; Whether it is fighting to get rid of slums to provide jobs for everybody; Whether it stays out of politics except to expose corruption and condemn injustice, race prejudice and the cowardice of compromise. The Afro-American must become a semi-weekly, then a tri-weekly and eventually when advertising warrants, a daily. It has always had a loyal constituency which believes it to be honest, decent and progressive. It is that kind of newspaper now, and I hope that it never changes. It is to these high hopes and goals of achievement that the people who make your AFRO have dedicated themselves. God willing, they shall not fail."
--John H. Murphy in a letter to his sons
