The Man Behind ‘Chicago Defender’ Was Influential Beyond Newspapers

The Man Behind ‘Chicago Defender’ Was Influential Beyond Newspapers

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John H. Sengstacke may not have founded the Chicago Defender (that was the work of his uncle Robert Abbott in 1905) but after taking over the paper in 1940, Sengstacke became an icon of African American journalism and Black America.

Sengstacke also founded the charity produced the largest African American parade in the nation— the Bud Billiken Parade. Ahead of this year’s parade in Bronzeville, Morning Shift talks with Chicago Defender Senior Writer Mary Datcher Sengstacke’s legacy.