A LOOK BACK: KAPPA HISTORY
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lthough print news media has declined in the wake of online news, it remains a preferred choice for many people. Those who still read news-
papers choose to consume printed news because this platform provides a sense of community and identity for underrepresented people who are often overlooked in mainstream digital media. For this reason, Black newspa- pers were established. The first Black newspapers started printing before the Civil War as a means to express abolitionist sentiment. The Freedom’s Journal, established in 1827, was the first Black periodi- cal. It initiated a trend among Black U.S. newspapers to demonstrate racial pride and to inform the Black community about current events and opportunities that directly pertained to and affected them. Black newspa- pers such as the Chicago Defender , Detroit Tribune , Pittsburgh Courier , Indianapolis Recorder , California Eagle , and the (New York) Amsterdam News were among those that followed and served a similar role for the Black community. Likewise, the Philadelphia Tribune , dubbed as the “Voice of the Black com- munity,” provided in-depth coverage of civil rights, education, politics, business, and culture affecting Black people. As publisher and editor of one of the nation’s oldest continuously published Black newspapers, the Philadelphia Tribune , E. Washington Rhodes (Epsilon 1918) played a pivotal role in upholding the coverage of stories of interest to Black people.
“ AS PUBLISHER AND EDITOR OF ONE OF THE NATION’S OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY PUBLISHED BLACK NEWSPAPERS, THE PHILADELPHIA TRIBUNE , E. WASHINGTON RHODES (EPSILON 1918) PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN UPHOLDING THE COVERAGE OF STORIES OF INTEREST TO BLACK PEOPLE.”
NEWSPAPER LEADERSHIP Born in 1895, Eugene Washington Rhodes was a son of former slaves and a native of Camden, South Carolina, where he received his ele- mentary and high school education.
He briefly attended Benedict Col- lege (1912-1915) and subsequently transferred to Lincoln University (Pennsylvania), from which he graduated cum laude in 1921. That same year, Rhodes succeeded the
72 THE JOURNAL ♦ FALL 2025
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