A pioneer of Wisconsin’s Black press, Jarius Anthony Josey was an outspoken champion for equal rights.
In 1916, he co-founded the Wisconsin Weekly Blade, Madison’s first Black newspaper, of which he served as co-editor. A year later, he purchased the Milwaukee Enterprise and merged the two into the Wisconsin Enterprise Blade, one of the state’s first Black newspapers. He served as the publication’s sole editor and publisher, leading the newspaper for nearly three decades until it closed in1944.
Josey used his editorial platform to fight against racial stereotypes and frequently took positions on issues of importance to the Black communities of Madison and Milwaukee. He fought against segregation and discrimination and played an important role in exposing inequity in Wisconsin and across the country.
Known as “The First Mayor of Black Milwaukee,” Josey continued to serve the black community in his post-newspaper career, starting a real estate business that specialized in working with homeowners of color.
When Josey died in 1957, two funerals were held — one in Madison and another in Milwaukee — to pay tribute to the trailblazing journalist who served as the inspiration for many Black newspapers that emerged shortly after his death.
