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In
the 1920's, few African American writers for newspapers were writing
columns in white newspapers in the south. The Portsmouth Star
, the popular newspaper of the city of Portsmouth , Virginia
discovered a writer by the name of Jeffrey T. Wilson. In the early
twentieth century, both Blacks and Whites followed daily events
in Portsmouth through the eyes of Jeffrey Wilson, who wrote the
column, “Colored Notes” for the Portsmouth Star newspaper.
The Colored
Notes column was a small column located after the comics at the bottom
of the “Want Ads” section of the newspaper. This section was introduced
in an effort to attract the black readership audience who, prior to
this, did not purchase the Portsmouth Star in great numbers.
The information published by Jeffrey T. Wilson kept the black community
informed and also aware of activities that were going on within the
community such as news of the black churches, anniversaries, new births,
social items, visitors to Portsmouth, deaths, and so on. He would
also make commentary on local, state, and national political ideas.
The
mainstream American media during this time not only largely excluded
black opinions, but also reflected and reinforced widely held racist
assumptions and stereotypes. Wilson chose his words and shaped the
topics of his column not simply with black readers in mind, but
to awaken the consciences of white readers as well. The information
that one finds within the “Colored Notes” is considered a valuable
contribution to the general public because it unearths the significance
of the achievements and contributions of Portsmouth 's black community.
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