William Monroe Trotter is an exceptionally morally courageous
man who died never ceasing to speak up for his beliefs. Normally, when one’s
opinion is not in the majority, it goes unspoken. Monroe Trotter, as he
preferred to be called, was never shy to break the ‘rules’ of the spiral of
silence. His life’s work, an African American newspaper called The Guardian attests his character with
its mission to fight against discrimination. The
fight was namely aimed at Booker T. Washington, considered the most famous
African American and a dominant leader at the time, whom Trotter confronted
multiple times for his pacifying ideas on African American’s next step towards
equality. Though the paper wasn’t profitable and its aggressiveness turned off
political party subsidies and advertisers, Trotter and his wife Deenie devoted
their life to its publication. After spending a month in jail for allegedly
provoking a fight held at one of Washington’s speeches, he got the attention
and gained respect from W.E.B. DuBois. Together they created the short-lived
but very influential civil rights organization called the Niagara Movement,
aimed at combating Booker T. Washington’s “ Tuskegee Machine.”
Trotter began to feel the stress of his long life of dedication
to the paper after facing awful reviews and never-ending financial problems
that grew even more troublesome during the Great Depression. On his 62nd
birthday Trotter was found dead at the base of his apartment building, it’s
unclear whether it was the result of suicide.
W.E.B DuBois admired Trotter for his “Unselfishness, pureness of
heart and indomitable energy.” His spirit and passion can still be felt today
almost 80 years after his death. He is an unforgettable figure in equal rights
and his independence and unwillingness to suppress his opinion will be an
inspiration for all journalists indefinitely.
American Journalists Text
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