One hundred and thirty-three years. That’s how long the AFRO-American Newspapers, doing business as AFRO News, has been in business — 100% Black-owned, family-owned, and unapologetically committed to truth-telling. That alone is worth celebrating.
But it didn’t happen by accident — or without struggle.
We thank God first. Through wars and recessions, protests and pandemics, leadership changes and industry disruption, we are still standing because of divine provision and purpose.
John H. Murphy Sr.’s Bold Vision
My great-grandfather, John H. Murphy Sr., a formerly enslaved man, started the AFRO in 1892 with $200 from his wife, Martha Howard Murphy. He believed that Black people needed our own voice. That wasn’t just a business decision — it was an act of resistance. At a time when we were shut out of every institution of power, he dared to build one of our own…