Running head: THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 1

The Call & Post: Triumphs Over Tribulations

Richard Livellara

Cleveland State University

UST202 Section 505

THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 2

Abstract

The Call & Post founded itself like other Black editorials with the intention of aiding the Black

community by keeping the Black communities best interests in mind. However, the Call & Post

had stringent competition, it since found strong leadership in Don King and Ken Miller to ensure

sustainability. The Call & Post has had immense success and powerful political influence over

the years with the election of Carl Stokes, and has combated Black disenfranchisement by

educating and assisting voters over the entire state of Ohio through their weekly editorial for

close to a century. The Call & Post has done such an exemplary job that it has gone down in

history as having the biggest influence overall to aid in the first Black mayor of a major U.S. city

elected into office. The Call & Post did not stop there and has aided wherever they could with

future elections in Cleveland to presidential elections. They will continue to do this into the

future with the same success as they have had in the past.
THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 3

The Call & Post: Triumphs Over Tribulations

The Call & Post newspaper is one of the most influential periodicals that Cleveland has

to offer. They have been on numerous fronts battling multiple issues including racism,

discrimination and Black disenfranchisement. The Call & Posts political influence is possibly

the greatest factor that it has had over the course of its history. The Call & Post has aided in the

election of Carl B. Stokes, as well as aiding voters with information for voting locations, early

voting, absentee ballots and what information to bring to the poll to ensure that everyone can

vote and so that their vote will be heard. Black disenfranchisement was one of the most powerful

and heinous discriminatory actions against the Black citizens of this country to hinder their

upward mobility.

Black owned and published newspapers have been influencing society for close to two

centuries. The first Black newspaper in the United States was Freedoms Journal, which founded

itself back in March 16, 1827 in New York City according to PBS (2016). Free Blacks back then

realized the importance and power of a periodical that could appeal to as well as tell stories from

the Black communitys perspective. According to California Newsreel (1998), Free Blacks

gathered on Varick Street in lower Manhattan and decided that they too would use the press as a

weapon. They pooled their money and started the first newspaper in the United States to be

published by African Americans. John B. Russwurm and Samuel E. Cornish were the first

editors of Freedoms Journal (PBS, 2016) and they paved the way for many others across the

country to do the same thing. It did not take long for other cities in the US to follow along and

start their own Black operated newspapers. By the start of the Civil War over 40 black-owned

and operated papers had been established throughout the United States. (PBS, 2016). This

number is impressive, but the numbers of Black newspapers following the Civil War until 1900
THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 4

inflated almost exponentially. In California Newsreels (1998) documentary film, they showed us

the freedom of expression that increased in the Black community by stating, Between the end of

the Civil War and the turn of the century, over 500 Black newspapers began publication. This

freedom of expression experienced resistance though. A mob destroyed Ida B. Wells press

located in Memphis in 1892; luckily, she was out of town at the time or the mob would have

lynched her (California Newsreel, 1998). This resistance was worth it for the newspapers to be

able to spread the truth about what was going on though. Due to the periodicals informing the

Black communities of the truth, it caused tens of thousands to leave the oppressed South and

move to the North for a better life for them and future generations. With more than 10,000

Black people leaving each month, the Souths economy suffered and its leaders grew desperate.

(California Newsreel, 1998).

Similarly, the Call & Post has had a significant impact on the Black community as well.

Garrett Morgan (Call & Post, 2016) founded this weekly publication one hundred years ago in

1916. Garrett Morgan is a famous inventor that lived in Cleveland. Morgans was born in Paris,

Kentucky in 1877 and he moved to Cleveland in 1895 (aaregistry, 2013). Morgan, who is famous

for being an inventor of many items, invented the gas mask as well as an early traffic light

(aaregistry, 2013). Morgan decided to create a traffic signal,

After witnessing a collision between an automobile and a horse-drawn carriage, Morgan

was convinced that something should be done to improve traffic safety. Morgan was one

of the first to apply for and acquire a U.S. patent for a traffic signal. The patent was

granted on November 20, 1923. (aaregistry, 2013).

Cleveland had a few Black newspapers at this time, but according to Kusmer (1976),
THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 5

The black population of the city, however, was simply not large enough to support three

or four newspapers. By the end of the decade, the Herald had ceased publication, and the

two remaining competitors of the Gazette had wisely merged to form the Call and Post.

The Call and Post would soon outdistance its older rival and become, during the

following decade, the leading race paper in Cleveland. (p. 194)

Almost identically, Keating & Krumholz (1995) found that,

At one point in the 1920s four black weeklies were being published in Cleveland: the

Gazette, the Call, the Post, and the Herald. The black population was not large enough to

support so many papers, however. By 1928 the Herald had folded, and the two remaining

competitors of the Gazette wisely merged to form the Call and Post. The Call and Post

soon surpassed its older rival and during the 1930s became the leading black newspaper

in Cleveland. (p. 275)

The Call & Post has fought for civil rights for many years and believes that, Only

ceaseless insistence on the enforcement of law, the Black Call and Post editorialized in 1928,

will prevent the Ohio Civil Rights Stature from becoming a dead letter. (Kusmer, 1976). The

Call & Post also fights to deter Black violence intra-culturally and has done so for some time.

Black militants were paid each week at the Call and Post, a weekly newspaper serving the

Black community, for patrolling the ghetto and preventing black violence. (Keating &

Krumholz, 1995). The Call & Post felt that it is their obligation to do this due to increased racism

at that time. Kusmer went on to confirm this by saying,

Today we have only two unrestricted privileges left, the Ballot and the Public Schools.

The same year, the Negro Call and Post editorialized: Daily it becomes more apparent

that the virus of southern race prejudice is bearing its malignant fruit in this cosmopolitan
THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 6

city of Cleveland. With amazing rapidity it is spreading through the very arteries of this

city-once famous for its liberality to minority groups. (p. 187)

The Call & Post realized the rise of this racism and realized the importance of the Black

communities vote as well.

William O. Walker was editor and publisher of the Call & Post starting in 1932 (Ohio

History Central, 2016). Mr. Walker was born in Alabama in 1896, but eventually ended up

residing in Cleveland (Ohio History Central, 2016). As the editor and publisher of the Call &

Post, he used the periodical to push the Republican point of view even though the Black

population at the time seemed to side with the Democratic Party (Ohio History Central, 2016).

Walker was also a city council member for Cleveland in the 1940s as well as Ohios first Black

cabinet member in 1963 (Ohio History Central, 2016).

Being the editor and publisher of a periodical is a highly responsible and highly respected

job. The reporters though are the ones that do most of the dirty work so to speak. One could say

that they are the infantry in the war to find and expose the truth for all to see. In a recent

interview with Holly Rushton (personal communication, December 11, 2016), she voiced her

opinion for wanting to be in the field if she were to gain employment at the Call & Post. She

feels that she would be qualified for the position of an investigative reporter due to her current

position as a social worker (H. Rushton, personal communication, December 11, 2016). Holly

went on to substantiate this by saying, I have to investigate families and their circumstances and

be able to assess strengths and areas of need (personal communication, December 11, 2016).

She also feels that she would be able to transfer many skills from her current employment to the

Call & Post. She verbalized this by saying, I am able to help the families gain insight into their

own unique situations and how they can access their built in supports to empower themselves
THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 7

(H. Rushton, personal communication, December 11, 2016). We realized that a social worker

could bring an array of helpful skills to the field of journalism. Another one that Holly (personal

communication, December 11, 2016) pointed out was the fact that she investigates injustices in

government or community systems that prohibit individuals from reaching their potential and

bring these concerns to the publics attention to ensure accountability. Perhaps she has found

faults with the current local government here in Cleveland that she could vocalize to the Call &

Post to have her experiences made known to the entire community. She also spoke of being able

to advocate for community members, reach out to community organizations and find creative

ways to solve problems and move communities in positive directions (H. Rushton, personal

communication, December 11, 2016). Obviously, the skills that could cross over both ways with

these two professions are immense. The next question to Holly was what salary she would expect

to receive for this position at the Call & Post. She responded with the figure of 45k per year (H.

Rushton, personal communication, December 11, 2016). This seemed like a reasonable salary for

this position considering the useful skills that she could bring to the Call & Post.

King Media Enterprises, Inc. currently owns the Call & Post, and Don King owns King

Media Enterprises, Inc. (Call & Post, 2016). Don King is a famous boxing promoter and

businessperson. The Call & Post is located at 11800 Shaker Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44120, and the

periodical distributes weekly in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus (Call & Post, 2016). The

Call & Post has more than 80,000 readers, 40,000 subscribers, and distributes weekly in more

than 400 locations in those three cities (Call & Post, 2016). The Call & Post does many

community events and lists them on their community calendar. Some of the events for the

holiday season include Sister Act at Karamu Theater, an informational talk at Lakewood

Library regarding solar energy, an arts and crafts show at the Galleria, a festival of trees at The
THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 8

Allen Theater, a childrens choir concert at Word Grace Church, and many other activities to

engage the Black community and promote upward mobility.

Ken Miller is the current president and CEO of the Call & Post newspaper and he has 35

years experience at the Los Angeles Sentinel (Coleman, 2015). Don King appointed him to this

role because The newspaper has done little too in terms of truly standing up for the Black

community in recent years, some community activists and others say, and Jackson especially

needs to do more. (Coleman, 2015). Miller is a Democrat and was formerly the press deputy for

Laura Richardson who was Californias Democratic congressional representative (Coleman,

2015). King however is a republican, even though he endorsed President Obama back in 2008

according to Coleman (2015). In 2016 though, King endorsed Donald Trump for president and

strongly urged all readers of the Call & Post to exercise their right to vote. King has brought in

the best-suited person for the job in his mind.

The Call & Post aided Carl Stokes in obtaining the role of mayor of Cleveland, but more

importantly, aided the Black community in Cleveland to exercise their right to vote by informing

them and discouraging disenfranchisement. Stokes (1973) made their relationship clear when he

said, I would bet that from sometime late in 1957 roughly though to 1971 after I left office as

mayor, not a week went by that I didnt visit the Call & Post offices. Carl Stokes ran for mayor

of Cleveland in 1965, which he lost, and in 1967, which he won. Much of his success in the

election is due to the Call & Post. The Cleveland Call and Post did not merely chronicle Stokes'

campaign; it actively mobilized the African-American community to realize its political strength,

and it challenged the white community to exercise racial tolerance to make history. (Ross,

2008). The Call & Post was devoting most of its front page each week to my candidacy

(Stokes, 1973). When Stokes became mayor of Cleveland in 1967, he was the first Black mayor
THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 9

of a major of a U.S. city according to Ross (2008). This was a huge Black milestone in politics.

More than anything, it showed the nation the power and influence of the Black communities

vote. In the research done by Ross (2008), she shows us that the Call & Post placed a major

emphasis for Black participation in the voting process. They went about this election

mathematically by saying, We figured out that although Blacks made up only thirty-five percent

of the actual population, they comprised thirty-nine percent of the vote. (Stokes, 1973). When

Stokes ran for mayor in the mid and late 1960s, it was during the modern civil rights

movements. In 1965, Stokes ran for mayor as an independent candidate. Stokes was well aware

of what Cleveland needed in a mayor. According to Ross (2008), He could easily relate to all

socio-economic levels of African Americans because he grew up in the Cleveland ghetto,

dropped out of high school, and participated in the activities of the "street.". The Black citizens

of Cleveland were waiting for someone like Stokes to come into office and represent them. As

the Call & Post collected signatures for Stokes to be on the ballot, they received warming

remarks such as, Where have you been, I've been 'wanting to sign one of those petitions for the

longest,' 'I'm a Stokes' man, let me sign,' 'That's the fellow we need for mayor.' (Ross, 2008).

The volunteers from the Call & Post also educated the first time voters by explaining to them the

rules at the polling locations. Unfortunately, Unfortunately, Stokes lost the 1965 campaign for

mayor.

After the election loss, the Call & Post was diligent to remind readers of just how close

Stokes was to winning in anticipation of the upcoming election in 1967. The Call & Post told

readers, It will be tragic if Stokes lost again because Negroes again failed to register their

full strength so they could vote for him. (Ross, 2008). Stokes second run for mayor of

Cleveland he made the decision to run as a democrat. Registered Black voters since the 1965
THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 10

campaign had decreased according to the research done by Ross (2008), so the Call & Post

decided to step up their efforts to change this. The Call & Post did just that because by the time

of the October primary, the Board of Elections had recorded 99,885 registered voters from the

city's predominantly African-American wards. (Ross, 2008). The Call & Post not only increased

the Black voter numbers, but they also dedicated themselves to ensure that the Black voters

would be able to have their vote counted. They accomplished this by organizing car pools give

voters rides to the polls as well as opening a voting booth at the county fair (Ross, 2008). The

Call & Post had to do everything in their power to combat the disenfranchisement against them.

One form of disenfranchisement came in the form of Black city employees who reiterated that

they would lose their jobs unless they voted for the republican candidate (Ross, 2008). The Call

& Post also know they would have to fight until the last minute to get every vote they could.

They made remarks in their weekly like, Don't be Fooled-Carl Stokes is NOT Mayor of

Cleveland YET! (Ross, 2008) and the contest will be no cakewalk (Ross, 2008). While

Black power militants were fighting the same fight in a different way, the Call & Post realized

that Black votes were even more powerful when they said, the ballot box had more possibilities

for lasting achievement than any other tool we can use. (Ross, 2008). Thankfully, at the end of

the mayoral election in 1967, Stokes won. He won by a narrow margin winning by only 1997

votes.

Upon Stokes election victory, the Call & Post editorialized congratulations to the Black

voters for severing the umbilical cord that for so long has tied them to blind political

partisanship. (Ross, 2008). Clevelands Black population finally had realized the power they

have at the polls. Ross (2008) reiterated this by saying that they used full utilization of all of the

legal instruments now provided them, the most powerful of which is their right to vote. The
THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 11

choices in an election were greatly diverse with the help that the Call & Post gave to Carl Stokes.

Ross (2008) summarized this idea when she stated,

The paper's encouragement of African Americans to expand their political ambitions also

expanded the political thinking and choices for white Americans. Thus, the successful

crusade of the Call and Post helped to remove barriers of racism and advanced

democracy for all Americans. (p. 221)

While the victory of Carl Stokes was a major success overall, during the election process

there were struggles with Black consciousness. Mainly Stokes had struggles with General

Benjamin O. Davis Jr. Davis had an accomodationist level of consciousness being a General in

the Air Force. Stokes on the other hand demonstrated the same tertiary level of Black

consciousness that Martin Luther King Jr. demonstrated and that is the integrationist level of

Black consciousness. Ross (2008) reiterates this when she said, Stokes campaign represented

Kings definition of Black Power: a plan or program to achieve respect and equality on all social

fronts. Stokes also realized the need to integrate to gain White votes to win the election. Stokes

(1973) said this in his autobiography when he stated, I knew I needed White votes and White

workers in the campaign-Whites I could trust. Stokes appointed the title of Safety Director to

General Davis, but they did not always see eye to eye due to the difference in Black

consciousness level. Davis always sided with the police department in Cleveland and Stokes

sided more with the Call & Post and Black community. Those groups won Stokes the election, so

it is not surprising that he sided with them. Also due to the recent Hough riots in Cleveland, this

was a sensitive time and Stokes needed to consider this. Davis resigned as Safety Director due to

Stokes administration providing comfort and support to the enemies of law enforcement

(Stokes, 1973). These enemies included the Call & Post, several churches in the Cleveland area
THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 12

as well as the Friendly Inn Settlement House. It seems apparent that in politics one would want

to surround themselves with members of the same level of consciousness in their administration

to ensure maximum sustainability.

THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 13

References

Call & Post. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved December 13, 2016, from

http://www.callandpost.com/about

Coleman, K. (n.d.). Cleveland Urban News.Com. Retrieved December 13, 2016, from

http://www.clevelandurbannews.com/index.php/component/content/article/1-latest-

news/1076-boxing-promoter-and-publisher-don-king-names-kenneth-miller-president-of-

the-call-and-post-newspaper-miller-replaces-the-late-associate-publisher-and-editor-

constance-qconnieq-harper-and-is-a-former-editor-of-the-los-angeles-sentinel.html

Garrett Morgan, inventor of one of the first traffic lights. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13, 2016,

from http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/garrett-morgan-inventor-one-first-

traffic-lights

Keating, W. D., Krumholz, N., & Perry, D. C. (1995). Cleveland: A metropolitan reader. Kent,

Ohio: Kent State University Press.

Kusmer, K. (1976). A ghetto takes shape: Black Cleveland, 1870-1930. Urbana and

Chicago: University of Illinois.

PBS. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13, 2016, from

http://www.pbs.org/blackpress/news_bios/newbios/nwsppr/freedom/freedom.html

Ross, F. J. (2008). The Cleveland Call and Post and the election of Carl B. Stokes. Journalism

History, (4), 215.

Stokes, C. (1973). Promises of power; a political autobiography. New York: Simon and

Schuster.

The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords. (1998). California Newsreel.

THE CALL AND POST: TRIUMPHS OVER TRIBULATIONS 14

William O. Walker. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13, 2016, from

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/William_O._Walker