Houston Defender
African-American newspaper established in 1930
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Houston Defender is an African-American newspaper published weekly in Houston, Texas. The newspaper was established October 11, 1930 by C. F. Richardson Sr., who was also publisher of the Houston Informer.[1] The Defender served as a community advocate in the pre-Civil Rights era with a focus on equal rights, improved high school curricula and anti-lynching laws.[2][3]
| Type | Weekly Newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Founder | C.F. Richardson Sr. |
| Publisher | Sonceria Messiah-Jiles |
| Editor | ReShonda Tate |
| Associate editor | Aswad Walker |
| Founded | 11 October 1930 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters |
|
| Country | United States |
| Sister newspapers | Campus Defender |
| OCLC number | 14393467 |
| Website | defendernetwork |
Richardson died in 1939, and his son, C. F. Richardson Jr., took over the newspaper.[4] Sonceria Messiah-Jiles purchased the newspaper in 1981. The 2008 readership was 60,000.[5]
In 1993 the bi-monthly Campus Defender was created for a younger audience; its contributors are middle and high school students. The publication moved online in 2008.[4]
