We now belong to ourselves : J.L. Edmonds, the Black press, and Black citizenship in America / Arianne Edmonds.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Edmonds, Arianne, author.

Series:

Oxford scholarship online.

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Edmonds, Jefferson Lewis.

African American press--History--19th century.

African American press.

African American press--History--20th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (177 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2025]

Summary:

At the turn of the 20th century, the Black press provided a blueprint to help Black Americans transition from slavery and find opportunities to advance and prosper in American society. Among the vanguard of the Black press was Jefferson Lewis Edmonds, founder and editor of The Liberator newspaper. He was born into slavery in Mississippi, but, as a liberated adult, moved to Los Angeles and became a civil rights advocate, farmer, and journalist. 'We Now Belong to Ourselves' chronicles how Edmonds and other pioneering Black publishers documented the shifting tides in the advancement of Black liberation. Written by Edmonds' great-great granddaughter, the book argues that the Black press was central in transforming Black Americans' communication patterns, constructing national resistance networks, and defining Black citizenship after Reconstruction.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication Page

Contents

A Love Note to Readers

Prologue: Seeds from the Ancestors

Part I Part I. What We Brought with Us: The Stories That We Carry

Jefferson

1 Finding Jefferson

Man Emancipated

2 Forging a Pathway for Liberation

Part II Part II. What Brought Us Together: A Migration Story

Daddy

3 No Longer Will Others Speak for Us

4 Jefferson in Los Angeles

The Man Behind the Press

5 Building, Reflecting, and Future-Casting

6 The Harvest: The Psychological Shift of the Black Community

Part III Part III. Preparing for Our Legacy: All That Blooms

Adina

7 What I Learned

8 Jefferson's Legacy

9 The Year 1913

Epilogue: Note To Adina, Our Queen Califa, and All Those Who Dared to Face the Sea

A Retrospective: Black Angelenos Making History Then and Now

Acknowledgments

References

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on online resource and publisher information; title from PDF title page (viewed on April 16, 2025).

ISBN:

0-19-757911-6

0-19-757909-4

OCLC:

1514996752