You can see all the newspapers that have been collected at
this link below.
For a mere 5 cents ($1.21 in today’s conversion) you could
get your hands on a copy of this weekly. According to the Library of Congress,
via State Historical Society of Missouri: The weekly publication of Kansas
City Sun commenced in 1908, and it soon became one of the most prominent and
influential African-American newspapers in the Midwest. Nelson C. Crews
purchased the Sun in 1911 and used the paper to promote his activities in the
African American community. With the Sun as his vehicle, Crews helped organize
a campaign to get the second hospital in Kansas City that would admit African
American patients and allow black doctors to practice. https://www.kcur.org/community/2017-08-07/first-black-hospital-in-kansas-city-is-now-on-life-support
Additionally, in 1921, he “launched a crusade for
improvement” of schools in the area that served African-American students. His
editorials expressed his opposition to any proposals that increased
segregation, and he and Charleton H. Tandy of the St. Louis Palladium were
called to testify at a hearing before the Missouri House of Representatives
against a bill which would require the separation of the races on public transportation. His
public profile and power gave Crews a great influence in Kansas City, but it
also created some vocal opponents. Crews had an ongoing public feud with
William T. Washington who was the editor of the Rising Son, another
African-American newspaper in Kansas City. Crews had briefly worked for the
Rising Son, and Washington accused him of attempting to become a political boss
of the African American community due to his many speaking engagements and the
power that he wielded through his editorials. This rivalry ended in 1914 after
Crews purchased the Rising Son and ousted Washington as editor.
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| Nelson Crews. Courtesy of the American Jazz Museum. |
Even after acquiring another newspaper, Crews continued to
publish the eight-page Kansas City Sun every Saturday for another decade. The
last issue of the Sun appeared in 1924. Provided by: State Historical Society of
Missouri; Columbia, MO
