Historical Spotlight: Delilah Beasley
When I enrolled in college at the University of Georgia, I aspired to become a journalist. I enjoyed writing and envisioned myself delivering impactful stories for the millions of people who would watch me on TV. After going through my collegiate program, however, I quickly realized the journalism life wasn’t something I wanted to pursue long term. Black American heroes like Delilah Beasley broke the barrier for Black people to pursue the journey of journalism. Join me as we shine a historical spotlight on Delilah’s 50 year career and the impact she left on society.
Delilah was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on September 9, 1867 to her parents Daniel and Margaret. She was the oldest of five children and was forced to find full-time employment as a teenager after both her parents passed away in the 1880s.
In 1883, she began writing for a black newspaper in Ohio called the Cleveland Gazette. Originally, she reported on church and social activities but with the guidance of Daniel Rudd, a well-known newspaper publisher of the Colored Catholic Tribune in Cincinnati, she was able to improve her skills to publish her very first column in the larger Sunday The Cincinnati Enquirer just three years later.
In 1910, she moved to Oakland, California where she attended lectures and completed research at the University of California, Berkeley. She continued writing essays for presentations at local churches and helped foster the growth of the black population in the area by writing for The Oakland Sunshine, one of several black newspapers published during that time. Numerous black-owned small businesses, churches, and private social-welfare organizations also added to the explosive growth of the community.
She spent the next nine years writing her first book The Negro Trail-Blazers of California. It was published in 1919 and listed Black American accomplishments and achievements in early California. She used the records from the California Archives, white newspapers dated back to 1848, and black newspapers dated back to 1855 to compose her book. It included diaries, poetry, photographs, old papers, and a comprehensive history of early legislation and court cases.
Her book was the first to write down the history of the early Black pioneers in the state. She interviewed many people who actually witnessed history occur, and was able to capture their stories for future generations to look back on. She also didn’t shy away from acknowledging and celebrating the Black Western women of that time.
Due to her outstanding body of work, she became the first Black woman in California to write regularly for the Oakland Tribune, a major metropolitan newspaper. She penned the Sunday column Activities Among Negroes and often spent upwards of forty hours per week collecting material for it. She wrote about churches, social events, women’s clubs, literary societies, and local and national politics. She authored the column from 1925 up until 1934.
She made it her mission to use her platform for the good and advancement of Black Americans. Not only did she document the achievements of successful black men and women, but she also highlighted the political struggles that plagued the Black community and advocated for public intervention. She detailed the racism across the state and influenced the white readership to look beyond misconceptions and stereotypes to instead fight against injustices that impacted her community. In 1933, she helped urge California state lawmakers to pass the state’s very first mob violence law. The anti-lynching bill passed unanimously in both branches of California Legislature.
While she never married, she was a part of numerous civic organizations including the NAACP, the Alameda County League of Women Voters, the Linden Center Young Women’s Christian Association, and many others. She used her platform to help emphasize societal changes and work that needed to be done for the betterment of Black Americans.
Delilah passed away on August 18, 1934 from heart disease and hypertension in San Leandro, California. A monument was built in her memory 20 years later in Oakland. She leaves behind a legacy of learning, writing, and never leaving a stone unturned in the pursuit of truth.
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Signed,
Jessica Marie
