This Day In History: October 4
The New Orleans Tribune, or la Tribune de la Nouvelle Orléans, was founded with the intent to be an “organ of the oppressed.” The publication became the first Black daily newspaper on October 4, 1864, and was published in both French and English.
Dr. Louis Charles Roundanez first debuted the New Orleans Tribune on July 21, 1864, and published over 1,000 issues within the first decade of circulation. The New Orleans Tribune was the second newspaper Dr. Roundanez started, with L’Union serving as the predecessor.
The Tribune was initially published in French and English three days a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays) but quickly expanded to a daily publication within a few months of creation. It started as a four-page newspaper that was sold for five cents or six dollars annually.
Dr. Roundanez was sure to cover critical topics such as reconstruction, education, suffrage, the treatment of freedmen, integration and more. He was born in St. James Parish, Louisiana, in 1823, but grew up in New Orleans. Dr. Roudanez studied medicine in Paris, France and New Hampshire. As a freeman, he used his position to advocate for the Black community and served as a driving force behind the development of the Tribune.
By the end of the Civil War, the newspaper was growing as an influential voice and was circulating to 3,000 people daily. The Tribune was also active in making political statements. In an effort to show opposition to President Andrew Johnson’s policies, Dr. Roundanez regularly sent copies of the Tribune to every member of the U.S. Congress. Due to his activism and with the help of his editors at the New Orleans Tribune, social progress was able to occur.
However, as political views began to shift, so did the support of the Tribune’s staff and readers. Dr. Roundanez sided with Louisiana’s radical Republicans while his editors were more moderate in their views. This soon took a toll on readership and the Tribune stopped printing in 1868.
The newspaper was revived by Beverly Stanton McKenna, Dr. Dwight McKenna and Dr. S. Mark McKenna in 1985. The modern version of the New Orleans Tribune is published with the legacy of Dr. Roundanez in mind. The Tribune continues to provide relevant information to the Black community by covering topics such as politics, local news and HBCU enrollment.
