AFRO in the news
The Afro American Newspaper’s archives dating back 133 years have new home in West Baltimore – September 16, 2025
133 Years Strong: How the AFRO Is Still Defending Black Truth in 2025 – August 11, 2025
Historic Upton mansion to become home to AFRO Archives – June 9, 2025
Exploring the AFRO’s extensive archives – February 27, 2024
Baltimore’s historically Black newspaper chain is sorting through its archives. Treasures are surfacing. – February 18, 2024
AFRO News preserves firsthand account of civil rights history, returns to March on Washington – August 25, 2023
A Homecoming for the AFRO Archives of Black News and Culture – July 11, 2023
How the AFRO uses social media, newsletters and texting to engage with faith communities – June, 2023
AFRO Commercial produced through the COMCAST Rise Grant
AFRO History
The AFRO knows what it’s like to endure challenging times. John H. Murphy, Sr., a former enslaved man founded the AFRO 130 years ago with $200 from his wife, Martha Howard Murphy. Together they created a platform to offer images and stories of hope to advance their community. The AFRO provides readers with good news about the Black community not otherwise found.
Two years before his death, Murphy in a letter to his sons further details the mission and purpose of the AFRO:
“A newspaper succeeds because its management believes in itself, in God and in the present generation. It must always ask itself –
Whether it has kept faith with the common people;
Whether it has no other goal except to see that their liberties are preserved and their future assured;
Whether it is fighting to get rid of slums to provide jobs for everybody;
Whether it stays out of politics except to expose corruption and condemn injustice, race prejudice and the cowardice of compromise.
The Afro-American must become a semi-weekly, then a tri-weekly and eventually when advertising warrants, a daily.
It has always had a loyal constituency which believes it to be honest, decent and progressive. It is that kind of newspaper now, and I hope that it never changes.
It is to these high hopes and goals of achievement that the people who make your AFRO have dedicated themselves. God willing, they shall not fail.”
-John H. Murphy, Sr.
Today the AFRO is led by 4th and 5th generation descendants of John H. Murphy Sr. With your much-needed support (Thank you donors and members), we can continue to bring news and information about the community for another 131 years and beyond, and in the immediate future keep our readers informed with our comprehensive COVID-19 coverage.
The Afro-American has crusaded for racial equality and economic advancement for Black Americans for 131 years. In existence since August 13, 1892, John Henry Murphy Sr., a former slave who gained freedom following the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, started the paper when he merged his church publication, The Sunday School Helper with two other church publications, The Ledger (owned by George F. Bragg of Baltimore’s St. James Episcopal Church) and The Afro-American (published by Reverend William M. Alexander, pastor of Baltimore’s Sharon Baptist Church). By 1922, Murphy had evolved the newspaper from a one-page weekly church publication into the most widely circulated black paper along the coastal Atlantic and used it to challenge Jim Crow practices in Maryland. Following Murphy’s death on April 5, 1922, his five sons, each of whom had been trained in different areas of the newspaper business, continued to manage The Afro-American. Two of his sons, Carl and Arnett Murphy, served respectively as editor-publisher and advertising director.
The Afro-American rose to national prominence while under the editorial control of Carl Murphy. He served as its editor-publisher for 45 years. The newspaper was circulated in Baltimore, with regional editions circulated in Washington, D.C. twice weekly and in Philadelphia, Richmond, and Newark, once a week. At one time there were as many as 13 editions circulated across the country. The Afro-American’s status as a black paper circulating in several predominantly black communities endowed it with the ability to profoundly affect social change on a national scale.
“During World War II, The Afro-American stationed several of its reporters in Europe, the Aleutians, Africa, Japan, and other parts of the South Pacific, and provided its readers with first hand coverage of the war. ”
Carl Murphy used the editorial pages of The Afro-American to push for the hiring of African Americans by Baltimore’s police and fire departments; to press for black representation in the legislature; and for the establishment of a state supported university to educate African Americans.
In the 1930’s The Afro-American launched a successful campaign known as “The Clean Block” campaign which is still in existence today. The campaign developed into an annual event and was aimed at improving the appearance of, and reducing crime in, inner-city neighborhoods. The Afro-American also campaigned against the Southern Railroad’s use of Jim Crow cars, and fought to obtain equal pay for Maryland’s black schoolteachers.
During World War II, The Afro-American stationed several of its reporters in Europe, the Aleutians, Africa, Japan, and other parts of the South Pacific, and provided its readers with firsthand coverage of the war. One of its reporters (and Carl Murphy’s daughter), Elizabeth Murphy Phillips Moss, was the first black female correspondent.
The Afro-American collaborated with The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on numerous civil rights cases. In the 1950s the newspaper joined forces with the NAACP in the latter’s suit against the University of Maryland Law School for its segregationist admission policies. Their combined efforts eventually led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 decision outlawing segregated public schools. The Afro-American also supported actor/singer Paul Robeson and sociologist W.E.B. DuBois during the anti-Communist campaigns of the Joseph McCarthy era.
The Afro-American has employed many notable black journalists and intellectuals including Langston Hughes, William Worthy and J. Saunders Redding. In the mid 1930s it became the first black newspaper to employ a female sportswriter when it hired Lillian Johnson and Nell Dodson to serve on its staff. Renowned artist Romare Bearden began his career as a cartoonist at The Afro-American in 1936.
Sam Lacy, who was hired as the paper’s sports editor in 1943 and who, at the age of 94, still wrote a weekly column for the paper, used his weekly ” A to Z” column to campaign for integration in professional sports. Using their writing to protest racial inequities in professional sports, Lacy and sports writers such as Wendell Smith of The Pittsburgh Courier helped to open doors for black athletes. Following the death of Carl Murphy in 1967, his daughter Frances L. Murphy II served as chairman and publisher. In 1974, John Murphy III, Carl’s nephew, was appointed chairman and eventually became the publisher.
Fourth and fifth-generation members of the Murphy family, with leadership from Pastor Frances “Toni” Draper as Publisher & CEO along with a governing board of family and community members, manage the paper in recent years.
Dr. Frances Toni Draper, Chairman of the Board and Publisher
Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper has been a community leader in her home, Baltimore, for decades, with leadership positions in journalism, a church she founded and education.
In February 2018, she was named chairman of the board and publisher of the AFRO American Newspapers, which was founded in 1892 by her great-grandfather. She served previously as president of the company from 1987 to 1999.
In 2002, She became the founding pastor of the Freedom Temple African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in south Baltimore. She received a Doctor of Ministry degree in preaching and leadership from the United Theological Seminary in Ohio in 2006. Her bachelor’s degree in Spanish language education in 1969 is from Morgan State University and served on the university’s Board of Regents for 24 years before stepping down last June.
She also holds a master’s degrees in education, business administration and pastoral counseling. Her mother, Frances L. Murphy II, helped inspire her to be a community leader. She encouraged her to honor God, treat people the way you want to be treated and surround yourself with younger people who can keep you up to date on the latest trends and technologies.
Now it’s her turn to inspire the younger generation. She often tells her grandchildren that it’s important to give back to the community because many people need a genuine hand up or a simple word of encouragement, in order to survive and thrive. When people are healthy economically, socially and spiritually, communities are healthy.
Benjamin Murphy Phillips IV, President
Benjamin Murphy Phillips IV serves as the President of the AFRO American Newspapers, continuing a profound family legacy as a fourth-generation leader.
As President, Mr. Phillips is integral to the strategic and operational success of the organization. He has direct oversight of the company’s most critical assets: its people and its products. In his capacity leading Human Relations, he is responsible for talent acquisition, employee development, and nurturing a collaborative culture that honors the AFRO’s mission. Furthermore, he directs all Production operations, skillfully managing the complex workflow of both the weekly print editions and the 24/7 digital news cycle on AFRO.com. His dual focus ensures that the AFRO not only runs efficiently but also remains a trusted, high-quality voice for the Black community.
Lenora Howze, Executive Director
Lenora is an advertising and marketing executive with more than 30 years of experience training, coaching, and leading sales teams to success. She began her career at The Philadelphia Inquirer and later was recruited to head up The Baltimore Sun’s first advertising telemarketing team. During her tenure at The Sun, she received several honors and awards, including the Tribune Corporation’s Value Award. In 2006 she founded LH&G, a sales, marketing, and customer-service training firm for small and medium-size businesses. Lenora joined The AFRO in 2012. As Executive Director, she helps lead the company’s strategic direction and oversees print, digital, and social media advertising and sponsorship initiatives. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Temple University and master’s degree in Business Administration and Management from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
Kevin MPECKABLE Peck, VP Technology
MPECKABLE is dedicated to merging innovative technology with dynamic marketing to ensure the AFRO’s voice continues to lead and inspire across all digital channels. MPECKABLE also serves as the Host for the AFRO’s weekly Award winning Facebook Live show, Chicken Boxx. As the driving force behind Dru Hill, one of the most iconic R&B groups of the 1990s, MPECKABLE has built a reputation as one of the most sought-after managers in the music industry. From orchestrating sold-out world tours and securing seven-figure endorsement deals to negotiating contracts and booking television and film opportunities, Kevin has done it all.
A Morgan State University graduate with a B.S. in Marketing (with honors), MPECKABLE is widely respected in entertainment and media circles for his astute business acumen and no-nonsense approach. His ability to recognize and cultivate talent sets him apart, earning him an A-1 reputation in the industry.
Alexis Taylor, Managing Editor
Our current editorial team is led by Alexis Taylor. After serving the AFRO as editor for 10 years and managing editor for four years, Dorothy Boulware is stepping back from her role, leaving the reigns for Alexis Taylor, who currently serves as news editor.
According to Boulware, “Taylor’s attention to detail is exactly what an editor needs to produce exceptional content across the media organization’s various platforms. Alexis has enough experience as a journalist and enough newness as a manager to be a great team leader in helping the AFRO hold its place as a Black Press star,” said Boulware. “She brings a type of reverence for history that makes her appreciate the archival treasure the AFRO adds to its news coverage and the ongoing story of Black people.”
In her new role, Boulware will continue participating in media training labs and manage special projects and publications for the news organization.
She admitted that she doesn’t think she will ever be finished with the AFRO. It’s been a part of her life since she was a young girl reading the newspaper at her grandmother’s dining room table. She promised to continue devising ways to best serve the Baltimore community, including finding local talent to fill the AFRO’s pages.
Dana M. Peck, Digital Solutions Director
Dana M. Peck is the Digital Solutions Director for the AFRO, a creative and technological force driving the organization’s digital evolution. In this expansive role, Dana architects and executes the AFRO’s comprehensive digital strategy. Her oversight extends across all of the company’s digital assets, including the website (AFRO.com) and all social media platforms. She is responsible for digital advertising activation and produces key digital strategy reports that guide the company’s growth and efficiency.
Dana leads a dynamic team and her management responsibilities include overseeing the AFRO’s circulation and membership efforts, and directing a digital billboard network of nearly 30 screens across the Baltimore metro area.
Her strategic efforts in grant writing have been instrumental in securing the AFRO’s future, having raised over $500,000 for the organization since 2020. As a recognized expert in her field, Dana frequently represents the AFRO on panels, in labs, and at industry trainings. She is a sought-after speaker on critical topics including digital transformation and philanthropy. A multi-talented professional, Dana is an award-winning graphic designer, published author and a May 2026 J.D. candidate.