Oral history interview with Reuben Benton 1971

 

Name
Benton, Reuben (Interviewee)
La Brie, Henry G (Interviewer)
Title
Oral history interview with Reuben Benton 1971
Other Titles
Reminiscences of Reuben Benton : oral history, 1971; Oral history of Reuben Benton, 1971
Abstract
Benton discusses the Kansas City Call's experience with unionization by the Luggage Workers Union. At the time, The Call was the only unionized black newspaper. Benton describes his role as advertising manager of the paper, including the struggles of gaining white merchants to advertise in The Call. He chronicles how the relationship between the paper and advertisers, both black and white, shifted throughout the years. Benton describes the importance of black papers, primarily how these papers can understand and report on aspects of the black experience differently than white papers.
Collection Name
Black Journalists oral history collection
Subjects
Journalists; African American press; African American journalists; Advertising--Newspapers; Newspaper publishing--Economic aspects--United States; Journalists--Labor unions--United States; African Americans--Civil rights; Kansas City (Mo.); Benton, Reuben
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Origin Information
1971
Date
1971
Physical Description
sound files : digital preservation master, WAV files (96kHz, 24 bit); 17 pages
Note (Biographical)
Reuben Benton was the advertising manager of The Call, a black newspaper in Kansas City. Benton served The Call for over three decades, getting his start in advertising in the 1940s.
Note
Interviewed by Henry G. La Brie III on August 11, 1971.
Note (Provenance)
Henry G. La Brie III Gift, 1975
Language
English
Library Location
Columbia Center for Oral History, Columbia University
Browse Location’s Digital Content
Catalog Record
11562860
Also In
Time-Based Media
Persistent URL
https://dx.doi.org/10.7916/d8-a32p-5a18
Related URLs
Available digital content for this interview.