February 21, 2008
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Profile America for the 21st day of Black History Month. The first African-American newspaper in the U.S. was published in New York City on March 16, 1827. Called Freedoms Journal, it was the work of John Russwurm the first black college graduate and his partner, Samuel Cornish. The event is commemorated each year as Black Press Day. Today, African-Americans are getting the word out in a big way. They own more than 3,000 publishing firms, and 2,300 Internet businesses. In total, this population group owns more than 14,000 communications firms across the nation, generating revenue of $2.5 billion a year. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.