WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A piece of Wilmington history is at risk of being lost. Activists are working to “Save the Journal,” a journal they say has always been at the forefront of civil rights.
The Wilmington Journal was established in 1927 by the Jervay family. It is the first Black newspaper in North Carolina to follow the burning of The Daily Record during the 1898 Massacre.
“It was [Thomas Jervay’s] hope to use The Journal to make sure that the news, the history, the current engagements, the activities, and everything that was going on in the Black community juxtaposed to everything going on in the rest of the city and the world, that that was covered,” Civil Rights Activist and Wilmington Native Pastor Kojo Nantambu said.
The activist says the newspaper was and is an essential piece of Wilmington history.
“They are a part of everything that is Wilmington, everything that is the Black community. They are a part of the foundation of this city,” Nantambu said. “They are the foundation of the Black community, cause it’s been here. Starting with The Record and then continuing with The Journal.”
A direct line of communication for the Black community, making sure they knew the latest happenings in Southeastern North Carolina and around the world.
“The Journal was always there. It has always been at the forefront of civil rights and any kind of rights in the city dealing with the racial situation, dealing with any type of inequity,” Nantambu said. “Promoting the efforts of African Americans, promoting their growth and development.”
Now after nearly 100 years of operation Nantambu says due to hardships over the years the community is working to save The Journal from auction and make much-needed renovations.
“It is something that we do respect, admire and we look at it as a historical monument and hopefully it will be just as vibrant as it was before, but we need money,” he said.
A GoFundMe has been created by Dorian Cromartie and Deborah Maxwell, President of the New Hanover County chapter of the NAACP. The goal of $95,000 is needed before February 1 to save the building from auction. More than $10,000 has been raised so far.
Nantambu says he hopes to keep the memory of The Journal alive and revitalize the building so that one day he can show his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on, a piece of their history.
“We’re just hoping that we can keep it as a monument in the black community, as a historical monument, and as a cornerstone of our community as it was,” Nantambu said.
Nantambu added that prayers for Mary Alice Jervay Thatcher, daughter of Wilmington Journal Founder Thomas Jervay and now Publisher/Editor for The Journal, are needed.
WWAY has reached out to the Wilmington Journal for comment but has not yet heard back.
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Community working to save the oldest, largest Black newspaper in NC - WWAY NewsChannel 3
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