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New England Bulletin Archive 

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On March 26, 1949, Editor Ernie Durham and President George W. Goodman of the Hartford-based New England Bulletin, an African-American newspaper, declared that their new weekly would uphold "the crusade tradition" of its predecessors. The Hartford Chronicle and the Connecticut Chronicle, they said, had contributed to six critical World War II-era civil rights victories for the African American community in Connecticut. First, militant journalistic campaigning contributed to the hiring of the first six African Americans in the Hartford Fire Department. Second, the weekly Chronicle played a central role in forcing Connecticut to outlaw bias in the National Guard. Third, investigative reports exposed the substandard housing, inferior goods on sale, and especially high prices in Hartford's North End neighborhood. Fourth, the Chronicle led an exemplary effort to defend the injured school maintenance man Jacob Becker, who had unjustly been declared ineligible for pension or social security benefits. Fifth, by publishing the impressive credentials of African Americans applying to drive city buses and defending their qualifications, the paper ensured the integration of the profession. Finally, the Chronicle broke with a tradition of partisan Republican Party politics in the African-American press, and endorsed the Democrat Chester Bowles for governor (1949-51). In later years, the New England Bulletin took on the issues of discrimination in housing, insurance, and public accommodations, including school trips from Connecticut to Washington, D.C., in which black students were denied access to "white" hotels in the capital. The newspaper anchored its analysis with the results of regular surveys of the residents of key African American communities in Hartford.

Archive Info

Paper History

  • Hartford Chronicle
  • Connecticut Chronicle
  • Hartford-Springfield Chronicle

Source Information

New England Bulletin, 1949–1949 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2024. Last updated: February 3, 2023

Recent Article Clippings

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Dr. W. H. N. Johnson attend Omega Psi Phi Fraternity New England Regional
Edited 
Ralph Davis of Hartford in a contest

Ralph Davis of Hartford in a contest

New England Bulletin
Hartford, Connecticut
 • Page 2
Edited 
New England Bulletin
Hartford, Connecticut
 • Page 2
Edited 
Dr. Yerwood

Dr. Yerwood

New England Bulletin
Hartford, Connecticut
 • Page 3
Edited 
New England Bulletin
Hartford, Connecticut
 • Page 7
Edited 
Camp Bennet 6/9/1949

Camp Bennet 6/9/1949

New England Bulletin
Hartford, Connecticut
 • Page 2
Edited 

Archive Info

Paper History

  • Hartford Chronicle
  • Connecticut Chronicle
  • Hartford-Springfield Chronicle

Source Information

New England Bulletin, 1949–1949 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2024. Last updated: February 3, 2023