About Charlotta Bass
Our namesake is Charlotta Spears Bass, the pioneering Black woman activist and editor-publisher of the California Eagle newspaper.
Meet Charlotta Bass
Our Journalism & Justice Lab honors Charlotta Spears Bass, the pioneering Black woman activist and editor-publisher of the California Eagle newspaper. The Eagle was one of the first and longest-running Black publications in the region. Bass was also the first Black woman to be nominated for vice president of the United States. We follow her fearless lead now — to create fresh news stories that Bass would have championed and to curate historic Black media like hers.
“I am confident that within my lifetime I will see first-class citizenship achieved for all my people — true democracy for all Americans.”
— CHARLOTTA BASS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE CALIFORNIA EAGLE
Celebrating Charlotta Bass
Charlotta Bass believed deeply in the democratic process. That is why she was such an active participant in local, and even national, government. Our founding director, Dr. Allissa Richardson, took a cue from Mrs. Bass in late 2022, when she realized that the Bass name was not well-known in Los Angeles. Dr. Richardson decided to contact the Los Angeles City Council, to lobby for a citywide holiday for Mrs. Bass. The Lab reached out to the University of Southern California’s district representative, Councilman Curren Price, to ask if he would author a proclamation in Bass’s name. After many months of letter writing, Price’s office agreed to declare Bass’s birthday — February 14 — a holiday in the city of Los Angeles! Charlotta Bass’s family flew in from all corners of the country to participate in the celebration at City Council in 2023. The family also blessed the Lab’s launch with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and barbecue on the USC Annenberg Alumni Plaza patio.
Cutting the Ribbon
Watch us cut the ribbon on the Charlotta Bass Lab on her birthday, Feb. 14, 2023. Bass’s relatives — who ranged in age from two years old to 100 years young — attended the historic celebration. The next day, at City Hall, the Bass family and the Lab’s fellows attended the formal proclamation of Charlotta Bass Day.
Bass Family Advisory Board
(In alphabetical order)
