The Savannah Tribune has a proud and glorious heritage. A weekly newspaper covering news and issues related to Savannah’s African American community, The Savannah Tribune, originally named The Colored Tribune, published its first edition in 1875. 

Three African American civic and business leaders — John H. Deveaux, Louis B. Toomer Sr., and Louis M. Pleasant — recognized the need for a newspaper dedicated to serving Savannah’s Black community. Since its founding, The Tribune has consistently stood at the forefront of positive efforts to improve the lives of African Americans and uplift the broader community.

Early years

The years between President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the Reconstruction Era, which began in 1865 at the end of the Civil War, ushered in a brief period of opportunity for Southern African Americans, particularly in politics. During that time, a Black press emerged in the South.

This was also a perilous time for Black Southerners. White resistance to Black progress simmered during Reconstruction and ultimately led to segregation policies in the 1890s and the reemergence of the Ku Klux Klan in 1915. Despite the hostile environment, Savannah native John H. Deveaux founded The Colored Tribune with a stated mission to defend “the rights of the colored people, and their elevation to the highest plane of citizenship.”

Born in 1848 to a free Black family, Deveaux was a prominent Savannah businessman with the personal resources to finance the venture. Many Black publications folded after Reconstruction ended in 1877, but The Tribune survived until 1878, when all of the city’s printers — who were white — refused to produce it. 

Deveaux revived the paper in 1886 and served as editor until 1889, when he was appointed Collector of Customs and relocated to Brunswick, Georgia. Solomon “Sol” C. Johnson assumed editorship, and later purchased the paper following Deveaux’s death in 1909. With the exception of hiatuses from 1878 to 1886 and from 1960 to 1973, The Savannah Tribune has operated continuously.

Sol C. Johnson, born in 1868, had lived in Savannah since childhood and also ran other successful businesses. However, the paper’s survival, according to historian Jeffrey Alan Turner, cannot be explained solely by economics. 

Turner wrote, “One does not have to look hard to find Black editors in the South who spoke out too strongly against white society… Deveaux and Johnson must have had a sense for when they could criticize the system — as they often did — and when they needed to be cautious.”

During Johnson’s editorship, The Tribune served as the only medium in South Georgia and North Florida that consistently reported on injustices of the Jim Crow era. It encouraged resistance to segregation — particularly in Savannah’s streetcar system — and covered contentious issues such as the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot, lynchings, the convict lease system, and the lack of educational opportunities for Black children in Savannah.

By the 1920s, the paper had moved from a generally conciliatory stance toward whites to a more assertive voice for racial equality. It also served as a forum for the Black literati. James Weldon Johnson, a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance, was a Tribune correspondent during his tenure as executive secretary of the NAACP.

In 1928, The Tribune faced significant competition from the newly established Atlanta World (later Atlanta Daily World), which would become the state’s most prominent Black newspaper and gain national readership by the 1930s. Still, The Tribune endured.

Sol C. Johnson led the paper until his death in 1954. He was succeeded by his goddaughter, Willa Ayers Johnson, the first female owner and editor. A graduate of Talladega College, an HBCU in Alabama, she also worked for the Department of Family and Children Services while managing The Tribune.

Under her leadership, the paper continued publication until September 1960, when it closed during a period of decline in Black media. Industry analysts attribute this trend partly to the belief that, with racial progress underway, Black publications were no longer necessary.

Re-emergence

After a 13-year hiatus, banker Robert E. James re-established The Savannah Tribune in 1973. He served as owner and publisher until 1983, when his wife, Shirley Barber James, became the second female publisher and sole owner. A community leader, Barber James is a graduate of Spelman College (HBCU), earned an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and worked as a licensed professional counselor at Savannah State University.

Under the James family’s stewardship, The Tribune continued to prioritize stories relevant to African Americans — both locally and nationally — while promoting Black community events. Even as its primary competitor, the conservative Savannah Morning News, began diversifying its newsroom and increasing its coverage of issues affecting Black readers, The Tribune retained its niche as a trusted voice for Savannah’s African American population.

Another surge

In 2002, the newspaper gained new momentum with the return of veteran advertising executive Tanya Milton. A Savannah native, Milton had launched her career at The Savannah Tribune in 1975 before moving to Detroit and Kansas City, where she held advertising roles at The Black Secretariat and the Kansas City Star & Times, respectively. She returned to Savannah in 1981 and spent 21 years with the Savannah Morning News before rejoining The Tribune as General Manager and Advertising Sales Director.

Milton’s return was key to the newspaper’s growth and stability during a time when small, privately owned weekly newspapers across the country were struggling to remain relevant.

A phoenix experience

In January 2006, an electrical fire severely damaged The Tribune’s office at 916 Montgomery Street. The Savannah community quickly rallied in support. Savannah State University (an HBCU) offered Tribune staff access to its journalism department’s computers. Assistance also came from The Savannah Morning News and the Savannah College of Art and Design.

That same week, The Tribune purchased new computers and relocated to a building at 1805 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, owned by Robert E. James. The newspaper maintained its proud tradition of never missing a publication date since its 1973 relaunch and continues to operate from that location today.

Looking ahead

As of 2018, Shirley Barber James remains The Tribune’s owner, publisher and editor. Now celebrating 150 years of service, The Savannah Tribune continues to earn its place in the 198-year history of the Black press and proudly upholds its legacy as “Georgia’s Best Weekly.”

This piece was originally published in the Savannah Tribune.

The publisher, Shirley Barber James, was recognized as Publisher of the Year during the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual convention.

For more information, visit www.savannahtribune.com.

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