Document text
August, 29, 1939
Henry Houston (Negro Newspaperman)
624 E. Second St.
Charlotte, N. C.
Cora. L. Bennett, Writer
Dudley W. Crawford, Reviser
No Names Changed
Steps lead directly from the sidewalk to the large,
two story house of nine rooms, which is the home of Henry
Houston. The house is quite spacious but, apparently, no
attempt has been made to redecorate the interior according
to modern trends. The first floor consists of a double
living room, with sliding doors between, dining room,
kitchen and study. On the second floor there are four bed-
rooms and bathroom.
In one corner of the yard, near the driveway entrance,
hangs a small sign, "The Charlotte Post". The driveway leads
to the back of the house where the printing shop is located
in a small frame building. Here the Charlotte Post is
printed.
Henry Houston, stout man of medium heright, awns his
own home as well as the newspaper. But here is the story
as he tells it:
"I have never had but one job outside of the news-
paper business. That was when I worked as an insurance agent
for several years. I was once a travelling agent for the
insurance company and later district manager of one of the
districts.
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"My first job in a newspaper office was as devil?
or office boy. Naturally I got intereAed in that type of
work while I was there. For eighteen years I worked in the
Southern Newspaper Union of Charlotte. I learned all about
the work in thos eighteen years.
'I've been in Charlotte practically all my life. I
was born in Mecklenburg County and my mother brought me to
Charlotte to live when I was just three years old. You see,
my father was killed in a mine before I was born. I was
the younFest of ten children and strange to say they are
all dead except the oldest boy and myself. After my father
died, naturally my mother had to get some place where she
could get domestic work to support the family. So that's
why we moved to town.
'I attended the city schools and have never been to
nobody's college. I went to school at night for a short
time butfor the most part, my education was limited to
the grades. But that did not keep me from aspiring to make
good in the world. I know I've been handicapped somewhat
by :ay limited education/but I've never brooded over that
fact. I've made the best out of what little opportunity I've
had and I think I've lived a -Jretty full life. No one in
this town has fought harder to better the educational
opportunities for negro children than I have. My awn boy
finished the city schools and I have sent him to Livingston
College where he got his A.B. degree. I had a girl who
died before she finished her college work at the same school.
"After I stopped working for t:kle insurance company I
established the Charlotte Post, that's been twelve years
ago now. I own the newspaper in full,as well as my own pritt
shop. My son and myself do all the work. I am editor and
he is the managing editor. Both of us operate the press.
'le do job printing in connection with the other work. We
belong to the Associated Negro Press as well as other news
agencies. The paper is edited weekly and is sent all over
North and South Carolina. The present weekly circulation is
about forty two thousand copies.
"I have entred quite fully into the civic life of
the community, I believe. The colored civic league was
organized by nee and we were the organization that led the
fight to tear down those old frame school buildings in the
city and build up-to-date buildings. I also helped to
organize the Negro Citizen League, the chief purpose of
which was to stimulate interest in the negroes of this
town exercising the right of suffrage. When we first began
our fight there were not many voters here and now we have
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about three thousand negro voters.
"Right after the war I organized a song service
that became nn institution. It appealed to the youth and
staid in operation for about fifteen years. Every Sunday
afternoon great crowds would get together and sing.
"Then I served as secretary of the Community Service,
directing the social work of the community. I was interested
in the recreational program of the colored youth of Charlotte
and helped sponsor a seven day recreation program. We
continued this work until the building where our head-
quarters were located burned. Then we had to give up the
work to some extent. I am still a member of the committee
on recreation.
"Fraternally, I belong to all the organizations and
am mayor and State Deputy of the Elks Lodge. Religiously,
I am a member of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion
Church.
"Recently we have organized in the city, "The
Crusaders Organization". The purpose of this organization
is to fight crime among our people. We are trying to get
at the cause of crime, and are centering our attention
on the children of the city. We have tried to get as many
children in sunday school as possible. First we baited
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the sunday schools with candy. For several sundays all of
the children who went to sunday school received sone candy.
After the children rot in the school it was the work of
the church to istep them there. Then -A9 offered prizes to
the sunday school having the la-7eat number of new members
on P certain Sunday.
"The latedtplan of the Crusaders is to organize a
radio program to continue the fight against crime.
"Although there is a great deal being said about the
youth problem, and it is indeed a great problem among all
races, I believe the colored youth of our land has a very
hopeful future. Most of our children have a pretty bad
beginning, in the fact that the majority of their mothers
are employed in domestic work. They leave the children early
in the morning and return late at night. But in spite of
this great handicap I believe that as day nurseries are
establihed for our people, as directed recreation programs
are sponsored and as education continues to lift our
people from ignorance, the youth will take advantage of
the various facilities now being sponsored for their benefit."