Gary Crusader

The Gary Crusader is a newspaper based in Gary, Indiana, United States, which has been featured in national newspapers for its focus on the African-American community. It was founded in 1961 and became part of the Crusader Newspaper Group founded by Balm L. Leavell and Joseph H. Jefferson.^[1] The Crusader Newspaper Group, founded in 1940, consists of The Chicago Crusader and, since 1961,^[2] the Gary Crusader. The newspaper is currently run by Balm L. Leavell's wife, Dorothy Leavell, chairman of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

The Crusader was established to shed light on the civil rights movement, African-American culture, and news about the Gary African-American community. The Editor of the Gary Crusader is Sharon Fountain. The current publisher for the Gary Crusader, Dorothy Leavell, is stationed in Chicago, Illinois, in their larger sister organization, the Chicago Crusader. This paper has a twice-weekly print release, while also maintaining a daily article update on their website. They have a print circulation of just over fifty-six thousand copies.^[3] The Gary Crusader is the sixth largest newspaper in the state, while also being the largest ethnic-based newspaper in Indiana. Located just over 25 miles from downtown Chicago, it is well known in the Northwest Indiana region.^[4]

The Gary Crusader was founded in 1961.^[2] The publication was created as a way to give a voice to the African-American population in the Northwest Region of Indiana. In the very turbulent year of 1968 for the African-American community, with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Democratic Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy, founder Balm L. Leavell died. His wife, Dorothy Leavell assumed the role of Publisher.^[5]