Town hall meeting

OCT. 28—The 12th Ward Democratic Committee will host a Town Hall Meeting from 6-8 p.m. at Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, 7060 Lemington Ave., Homewood. The meeting will focus on what matters to 12th Ward residents. This is a time to voice one’s concerns. For more information, call 412-661-6161.

In the 1940s, the Pittsburgh Courier reached the height of its circulation. At its peak, the newspaper’s reach extended to 14 cities nationwide, employing more than 400 people.

Russell Washington had a front row seat in the glory days of the Courier. In his position on the business side of the company, working with the newspaper’s finances, he had a behind-the-scenes view of the paper’s rise and temporary demise.

A PIECE OF HISTORY—Russell Washington reflects on the 26 years he worked for the Pittsburgh Courier. (Photo by Rossano P. Stewart.)

“We had offices in Washington, D.C., Phila­delphia and New York City. We had contacts in other places around the country,” Washington said. “Everything was printed in Pittsburgh. We did all the printing. All of that was done by our own people.”

In 1907, aspiring Black writer Edward Harle­ston, a security guard at the H.J Heinz plant, began publishing a broadsheet of his writings, which he called the Pittsburgh Courier. Three years later, 100 years ago, Hill District attorney and businessman Robert L. Vann took control of the failing venture to create a newspaper serving the Pittsburgh area in which he formally chartered the paper that became one of the most transformative publications in history. Not only did it report the news of African-American travails and successes locally, nationally and globally, but in doing so, it also made news.

By World War II, the Courier had a circulation of more than 250,000, had offices in 14 cities and published eastern midwest and west coast editions. Vann was determined to have the Courier become a vehicle for Black political empowerment and economic and cultural improvement.

COURIER EDITORS —Mrs. Jessie Vann with Courier editors.

One of the most popular sections of the Courier was the religion section and for many years the lead writer and editor of these pages was Rev. Bert H. Logan.

The late Rev. Logan was the man behind the Pittsburgh Courier’s religion pages during the 1950s and ’60s. He was a Baptist minister with a love for the Lord, people and his job.

COURIER LEADERS—Rev. Bert Logan, religious editor, right, back row, stands with other Pittsburgh Courier staff. Standing from left: Photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris, Managing Editor Frank Bolden and City Editor and writer Ralph Koger. Sitting, from left: writer and columnist Hazel Garland; writer John L. Clark and columnist and writer Willa Mae Rice.

“He was delighted to work as the religion editor for the Pittsburgh Courier because he had been in the religious field forever, so it was just fitting,” said his daughter, Sue Lockett. “He was the religious editor for a long time.”

Reverend Logan also covered religious news and events in the local and national Black communities. He often covered church conventions and even after his position as religious editor ended, he would appear as a guest columnist in the section.