The Chicago Defender, the daily credited with starting the "Great Migration" of Black freed slaves to the North, is history. And we're not talking as in celebrating Black History Month. The publication with an incredible legacy will no longer provide loyal readers a daily edition, instead it will become a weekly rag beginning February 13, 2008. Currently one of only two Black daily newspapers serving the African American community, the decision will not affect the publication's website, chicagodefender.com.
"I've had to separate myself from what's going on. It's hard," a former employee and relative of the founders said today.
"I'm crushed, but not surprised," said DC Livers, managing editor for the Historical Black Press Foundation, which publishes the State of the Black Press Report annually. "Unfortunately, [in the 2007 report] we predicted that 2008 will the beginning of mass consolidation, buyouts and closures of Black-owned media outlets. This is just the beginning. "(BlackPressMagazine.com)