“Activities Among Negroes”

Abstract

After authoring a groundbreaking book in 1919 about African-American contributions to California history, Delilah Beasley began in 1923 writing a column, “Activities Among Negroes, “for the Oakland Tribune, detailing the lives of African Americans around the country. This made her the first African-American woman to be a regular columnist for a mainstream (predominately white) newspaper. Her columns chronicled a range of activities among the black elite, from the quotidian to the exceptional, and provided white readers with positive portrayals of African Americans that were not commonly available to white audiences. What she wrote often drew the attention of prominent whites in the community, particularly women involved in the progressive movement and women's clubs, and promoted interracial dialogue in California's East Bay region.