Born: September 16, 1889, Sanford, FL

Education: Chicago public schools; Tuskegee Institute, graduated 1906

Died: August 2, 1967, Chicago

A pathmaking journalist, Barnett transformed the Afro-American press into a corporate business. In 1919 he enlisted midwestern and western editors to share their advertising and reporting in an Associated Negro Press (ANP). Its logo displayed an owl and scroll over Progress, Loyalty, Truth.

Barnett directed ANP for nearly a half-century. He not only brought in member newspapers and syndicated columnists from every region by the 1930s; he also sponsored foreign correspondents during World War II and the Cold War, thus forging a foundation for black newspapers’ survival as the Civil Rights Movement and desegregation of journalism reduced their market.

ANP disseminated news releases to newspaper and magazine publishers, advertisers, and organizations. For an initial fee of $25 weekly, even community groups could obtain its services. Its growth caused tension with the Chicago Defender, its main local competitor. Poro College, one of the first million-dollar beauty enterprises, was ANP's largest client. Newspaper membership reached 200 in 1941. At its Chicago headquarters, staff journalists worked on regular features and special stories from paid field reporters. Barnett wrote hundreds of columns, usually under a pseudonym. Several noted leaders and writers were columnists, including NAACP secretary William Pickens and writer Langston Hughes.