Charlotta Bass

Charlotta Bass
Charlotta Bass, ca. 1901–1910
Born
Charlotta Amanda Spears

(1874-02-14)February 14, 1874
Sumter, South Carolina, or Little Compton, Rhode Island, U.S.
DiedApril 12, 1969(1969-04-12) (aged 95)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeEvergreen Cemetery, East Los Angeles, California
Occupation(s)educator, newspaper publisher/editor, and civil rights activist
Known for
  • first African-American woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States
  • first African-American woman nominated for Vice President
SpouseJoseph Bass

Charlotta Amanda Spears Bass (February 14, 1874 – April 12, 1969) was an American educator, newspaper publisher-editor, and civil rights activist. She also focused on various other issues such as housing rights, voting rights, and labor rights, as well as police brutality and harassment.[1] Bass is believed to be the first African-American woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States; she published the California Eagle from 1912 until 1951.[2] In 1952, Bass became the first African-American woman nominated for Vice President, as a candidate of the Progressive Party.

Due to her activities, Bass was repeatedly accused of being part of the Communist Party, for which there was no evidence and which Bass herself repeatedly denied. She was monitored by the FBI, who continued to view her as a potential security threat until she was in her nineties.

  1. ^ Freer, Regina (2004). "L.A. Race Woman: Charlotta Bass and the Complexities of Black Political Development in Los Angeles". American Quarterly. 56 (3): 607–632. doi:10.1353/aq.2004.0034. ISSN 1080-6490. S2CID 144912374.
  2. ^ Nancy A. Hewitt. A Companion to American Women's History, Blackwell Publishing, p. 237 (2002), ISBN 0-631-21252-3