The Cleveland Gazette was a weekly newspaper published in Cleveland, Ohio, from August 25, 1883, to May 20, 1945. It was an African-American newspaper owned and edited by Harry Clay Smith, initially with a group of partners. Circulation was estimated between 5,000 and 18,000. The Gazette became the longest-publishing African-American weekly in the U.S., earning its nickname "The Old Reliable" by never missing a Saturday publication date in 58 years. Background and establishment Cleveland Many African Americans moved from the South to northern cities, such as Cleveland, after the end of Reconstruction. Because Cleveland had been primarily populated by New Englanders who opposed the institution of slavery, the addition of African Americans allowed the city's public areas to become more integrated with minimal racial conflicts. During this time, the demand and support of African-American newspapers in the North grew. Various "religious and charitable organizations provided financial support for newspapers," and educational advancements allowed more African Americans to learn how to read and write. Harry Clay Smith Known as "The Forgotten Warrior," Harry Clay Smith (1863–1941) received an education from the Cleveland Public School System, which was integrated at the time. Smith was a writer for "the weekly Cleveland Sun, a white paper" and was a "leader" as an athlete and musician during his high school years. After high school, Smith helped create The Cleveland Gazette and served as an Ohio legislator from 1883-1899. He was heavily involved in the passage of the Ohio Civil Rights Law of 1894 and an "anti-lynching law" in 1896. The Cleveland Gazette Striving to better represent African Americans and the issues they were facing at the time, Smith created The Cleveland Gazette, "Cleveland's first black newspaper," with three other men in 1883. Smith became the "sole owner" in 1888, and he financed the paper through "Republican party contributions" and earnings from rental property ownership and "job printing." The newspaper "advocated that blacks should aggressively demand their equal rights without compromise," which represented Smith's values. Beginning years Content When The Cleveland Gazette first started being published in the early 1880s, it "presented itself as a partisan Republican organ" since the Republican Party was a supporter of African Americans' campaign for civil rights at the time. Some of the newspaper's first articles "chastised the Republican-controlled legislature for failing to abolish the remaining Black Laws," such as the law prohibiting interracial marriage. In the beginning period of the