LA Sentinel Staff, 1933
*The first issue of the Los Angeles Sentinel, published on this date in 1933, is one of the oldest Black-owned and operated newspapers in America.
The Sentinel emphasizes issues concerning the African American community and its readers. It's a highly regarded paper that significantly influences its readership's perceptions, attitudes, and buying decisions. Col. Leon H. Washington established the paper. Mrs. Ruth Washington, the wife of Col Washington, remained the publisher until she died in 1990.
Attorney Kenneth R. Thomas (President/CEO 1990-1997) and his wife, Jennifer Thomas (President/CEO 1997-2004), purchased the newspaper in 1983 and remained its owners until 2004, when it was purchased by Danny J. Bakewell Sr., a real estate developer, businessman, and philanthropist. Bakewell became the executive publisher, chairman, and chief executive officer in March 2004.
Over more than 80 years, the Sentinel has been awarded hundreds of professional and community service awards and has been received as a member of all nationally recognized Newspaper publishing organizations. The Sentinel is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation, The National Newspaper Association, The National Newspaper Publishers Association, and The California Newspaper Publishers Association.
The Sentinel is published weekly on Thursdays with a readership of over 125,000. Like a weekly magazine, the Sentinel stays in the home from week to week and is the largest paid Black-owned newspaper in the West, having a paid ABC audited circulation.
