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Sacramento Observer records
MS.0011  
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Collection Overview
 
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Description
The Sacramento Observer records document the production and management of the Sacramento Observer, an African American-owned weekly newspaper, between 1964 and 1988. Founded, owned, and published by William H. Lee, a business and civic leader in Sacramento, California, this collection contains Lee's correspondence and honors, administrative and financial documents, and over 24,000 black and white photographs used in the production of the paper.
Background
The Sacramento Observer is an African American-owned weekly newspaper based in Sacramento, California. The paper was established in 1962 by Dr. William H. Lee, Gino Gladden, and John W. Cole, who purchased what was then a religious weekly called the Sacramento Outlook from the Reverend J.T. Muse, with the intention of expanding the paper to serve the growing African-American community of the area. By 1965, ownership had been assumed by Lee, who went on to publish the paper with his family. In 2001, Lee appointed his wife, Kathryn, co-publisher and in 2005 executive publishing control passed from the Lees to their son Lawrence Charles Lee. The paper's offices are located in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento.
Extent
30 Linear Feet (25 boxes)
Restrictions
All requests to publish or quote from private collections held by the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) must be submitted in writing to csh@cityofsacramento.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Center for Sacramento History as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the patron. No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.
Availability
The collection is open for research.