Honoring and celebrating The Philadelphia Tribune, an advocate and trailblazer for the African American community, on the occasion of its 140-year anniversary as the oldest, continuously published newspaper, owned and operated by African Americans.

WHEREAS, Christopher James Perry, Sr., founder of

The Tribune

, was born in Baltimore, MD in 1856 and, upon graduating from high school, relocated to Philadelphia. Although Perry’s father wanted him to study law, Perry refused, stating” For my people to make progress, they must have a newspaper through which they can speak against injustice”; and

WHEREAS, After 11 years of reporting for a local daily newspaper while attending night school, Perry’s dream of establishing a newspaper came to fruition when he launched

The Tribune

; and

WHEREAS, At the age of 28, Perry published the first edition of a one-page, one man operation titled

Tribune Weekly

at 725 Sansom Street; and

WHEREAS, During the Post-Reconstruction migration,

The Tribune

committed itself to improving the standard of living for African Americans in Philadelphia by covering job openings, civic affairs, social events, and church news; and

WHEREAS, From its inception until his death, Perry wrote about the challenges faced by African Americans, particularly those in Philadelphia, and worked to give them a platform to address the issues that affected their daily lives; and

WHEREAS, Today,

The Philadelphia Tribune

, stands as America’s oldest continuously published newspaper owned and operated by African Americans; and

WHEREAS, Over the years,

The Tribune

has championed issues such as desegregation, equality, equal access to City employment and contracting opportunities, and increasing the representation of African-American judges appointed to Philadelphia Municipal Court; and

WHEREAS,

The Tribune

has grown from a one-page, one man operation 140 years ago to a newspaper that is now published five days a week and maintains a website presence. In addition to the newspaper, the company publishes Tribune Magazine;

Now

, an arts entertainment review; Sojourner, an African-American visitors guide to Philadelphia; and the Learning Key, an educational supplement directed to students, parents, and teachers; and

WHEREAS, Robert W. Bogle, the current publisher of

The Philadelphia Tribune

, continues to lead the organization in its legacy of excellence, upholding its mission of serving the African American community with integrity and commitment; and

WHEREAS, In celebrating this historic milestone, we recognize the invaluable contributions of the Tribune's staff, editors, writers, and all those who have worked tirelessly to maintain the newspaper’s legacy of excellence in journalism and service to the African American community; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor and celebrate

The Philadelphia Tribune

, an advocate and trailblazer for the African American community, on the occasion of its 140-year anniversary as the oldest, continuously published newspaper, owned and operated by African Americans.

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Robert W. Bogle and employees of

The Philadelphia Tribune

as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.