Charlotta Amanda Bass Spears (1874-1969) was a remarkable woman. She was a newspaper editor, educator and Civil Rights activist. Born in South Carolina, she eventually moved to California for health reasons. Once in Califronia, she began working at the California Eagle selling subscriptions. She eventually became an editor and then owner of the paper. In doing so, she became the first Black woman to own a newspaper. Under Bass' leadership, the paper became the largest African American paper on the West Coast. The paper was critical of D.W. Griffin's Birth of a Nation and the treatment of Black solidiers during the 1917 Houston Race Riots. The paper also advocated on behalf of the Scottboro Boys in 1933. The paper focused on a wide range of issues including intraracial issues such as Asian and Mexican American civil rights. The Califronia Eagle's stridency on Japanese rights, especially in light of Japanese internment during World War II led to the paper being monitored by the US Government for its outspoken advocacy.
In addition to her work with the paper, Bass was active in Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in the 1920's. She fought agianst restricitve convenants, discrimination in hiring, and encouraged African Americans to start businesses. She was active in the "Don't Buy Where You Can't Work" movement in the 1930s. She was also director of the Youth movement for the NAACP, which included members such as Lena Horne, Hattie McDaniels and Louise Beavers. In 1952, Bass served as National Chairperson of the Sojourners for Truth and Justice. She also became the first African American woman to run for Vice-President. She was in the Progressive Party and her running mate was Vincent Hallinan, a lawyer. Her platform included Civil Rights, women's rights, an end to the Korean War and peace with the Soviet Union. Her campaign slogan was, "Win or lose, we win by raising the issues." At the age of 91, she was still considered a security threat by the FBI. She died in a Los Angeles nursing home in 1969 after suffering a stroke two years earlier.
