Red Scare-Era Blacklisting and the Fate of the California Eagle
Charlotta Bass, a pioneering journalist and civil rights activist, carved out an enduring legacy as the longtime editor and publisher of the California Eagle, one of the oldest and most influential African American newspapers in the United States. However, her career faced significant challenges during the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s when she was added to the government’s blacklist. This era of heightened paranoia over communist influence in American institutions deeply impacted Bass’s work, her reputation, and her newspaper. Despite the obstacles she faced, Bass remained a steadfast advocate for civil rights and anti-racism, but the California Eagle itself did not escape unscathed.
The Red Scare and Blacklisting
The Red Scare, characterized by a widespread fear of communist infiltration in the United States, reached its peak in the post-World War II period. With the rise of the Soviet Union as a global superpower and the intensification of the Cold War, U.S. politicians, most notably Senator Joseph McCarthy, led aggressive campaigns to root out suspected communists from American society. In this climate of fear and suspicion, activists, intellectuals, and labor leaders who were perceived as too radical or left-leaning were targeted and blacklisted by the federal government. Charlotta Bass, as a prominent figure in civil rights activism, was among those swept up in this witch hunt.
Charlotta Bass’s addition to the blacklist came as no surprise to those familiar with her tireless work for racial equality and social justice. As the editor of the California Eagle from 1912 to 1951, Bass had used the paper as a platform to champion the rights of African Americans in Los Angeles and beyond. She vocally criticized segregation, dubbing it one head of the “two-headed monster” of segregation and discrimination. She also spoke out against police brutality, housing discrimination, and voter suppression—issues that the government and mainstream society often ignored or trivialized. Her work extended beyond racial justice; she also advocated for workers’ rights and spoke out against American imperialism abroad. These positions aligned her with other progressive and left-leaning movements of the time, drawing the attention of federal authorities who increasingly associated civil rights activism with communist subversion.
Although Bass was never formally accused of being a communist, her involvement in progressive causes and her outspoken criticism of American institutions placed her in the crosshairs of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and the FBI. She was added to various watchlists, and her name was included in files that alleged connections between civil rights organizations and the Communist Party. The fact that she was a Black woman leading one of the most prominent African American newspapers in the country made her a particular target for harassment, as her voice was seen as a threat to the status quo.
The Fate of the California Eagle During the Red Scare
The California Eagle, under Bass’s leadership, had long been a beacon for social change in Los Angeles. Founded in 1879, the paper became a trusted source of news and advocacy for African Americans, covering issues like Jim Crow laws, the Great Migration, and civil rights legislation. By the time Bass took over as editor in 1912, she expanded the paper’s reach and cemented its reputation as an outspoken critic of injustice.
However, the Red Scare brought new challenges to the paper’s operations. The blacklisting of Charlotta Bass meant that she and the California Eagle faced increasing scrutiny from federal authorities. This surveillance extended to her newspaper’s contributors, advertisers, and even its readership, creating a climate of fear around any association with the paper. Mainstream institutions that once provided financial support or partnerships distanced themselves from the California Eagle, and some advertisers pulled their funding. The growing hostility toward anything perceived as “radical” made it difficult for Bass to secure the resources needed to keep the paper afloat.
In addition to financial difficulties, the paper faced censorship pressures. Federal agencies were known to monitor the content of African American newspapers, looking for any signs of communist sympathies. While Bass never capitulated to these pressures by softening her stance on civil rights, the intense surveillance made the work of journalism all the more precarious. The California Eagle staff operated in an environment where their words could be weaponized against them, and many lived in fear of being blacklisted themselves.
Despite these challenges, Bass continued to publish the California Eagle, using its pages to call out the hypocrisy of American democracy during the Cold War. She condemned the U.S. government’s focus on fighting communism abroad while ignoring the racism, poverty, and violence facing Black communities at home. Bass’s criticisms of police brutality and her advocacy for the African American community in Los Angeles were particularly scathing during this period, making her an even bigger target for federal scrutiny.
Bass’s Political Activism
While battling the effects of blacklisting on her newspaper, Charlotta Bass also deepened her involvement in electoral politics. In 1952, she made history by becoming the first African American woman to run for Vice President of the United States. She ran on the Progressive Party ticket alongside Vincent Hallinan, a labor lawyer and presidential candidate. The Progressive Party had positioned itself as an anti-racist, anti-imperialist political alternative to the Democrats and Republicans, focusing on issues like desegregation, economic equality, and an end to the Korean War.
Bass’s vice-presidential candidacy only further fueled the suspicions of HUAC and the FBI, as the Progressive Party had been smeared as a communist front. Her decision to run for office on a platform that openly critiqued American foreign policy and the capitalist system garnered praise from leftists and civil rights advocates but also intensified the government’s interest in her activities. Bass used her candidacy to bring national attention to the plight of African Americans and to critique the hypocrisy of the American government, which touted freedom and democracy while denying these principles to its Black citizens.
Unfortunately, Bass’s political career never gained enough traction to significantly alter the national conversation. The Progressive Party’s lack of electoral success, coupled with the Red Scare’s chilling effect on leftist organizing, limited her ability to push her platform forward. Nevertheless, her historic run for the vice presidency demonstrated her refusal to be silenced by government intimidation.
The Sale of the California Eagle and Bass’s Legacy
By 1951, facing mounting pressure from the Red Scare and the financial strain on her paper, Charlotta Bass made the difficult decision to step down as editor of the California Eagle. She sold the paper to Loren Miller, a fellow civil rights activist and attorney who continued its legacy of advocating for racial justice. Under Miller’s leadership, the paper remained an influential voice in Los Angeles, though it would never fully recover from the impact of the Red Scare.
Charlotta Bass retired from public life in the years following her sale of the California Eagle, but her contributions to civil rights, journalism, and political activism remain profound. Her refusal to be cowed by government harassment during the Red Scare is a testament to her courage and determination to speak truth to power. Though the Red Scare attempted to silence Bass and others like her, her work as a journalist and activist laid the groundwork for future generations of Black media makers who continue to challenge racial injustice.
In the end, Charlotta Bass’s addition to the blacklist may have impacted the trajectory of the California Eagle. She herself acknowledges the effect of getting blacklisted, remarking, “When a person, an organization, even a newspaper gets the courage and fortitude that it is going to require to put this old world in such condition that it will be a fit and happy abode for all the people…they must first be prepared to have their heads cracked, their hopes frustrated, and their financial strength weakened.”
But the blacklist attack did not crack, frustrate, or weaken her lifelong commitment to justice and equality. Her story serves as a reminder of the costs of standing up for one’s beliefs in the face of overwhelming opposition—and the enduring power of a free press in the fight for civil rights.