U.S. Census Bureau Black History Month Feature for February 12

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily Black History Month feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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SUNDAY FEBRUARY 12: FIRST BLACK NEWSPAPER

Profile America for the 12th day of Black History Month.  The first African-American newspaper in the U.S. was published in New York City on March 16, 1827.  Called Freedom's Journal, it was the work of John Russwurm — the first black college graduate — and his partner, Samuel Cornish.  An anti-slavery paper, it was published for two years.  Today, there are just under 2 million black-owned businesses.  This represents a gain of more than 60 percent in just five years.  In addition, these businesses employed more than 920,000 people — a gain of more than one-fifth in the same time period.  Among cities, New York has the most black-owned businesses, at just over 8 percent of the U.S. total, followed by Chicago, Houston, and Detroit.  This special edition of Profile America is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Sources:  www.wisconsinhistory.org/libraryarchives/aanp/freedom
U.S. Census Bureau, News Release, CB11-24

Profile America Special Edition:  Black History Month  2012  is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov  (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau