Newspaper to celebrate Anniversary at Navy Pier
Crusader Staff Report
Get the party horns and confetti out. The Chicago Crusader is turning 80, with plans for a big celebration at Navy Pier on June 12.
Plans are in the preliminary stage, but the site has been selected for an estimated 800 guests. The event will be held in the Aon Grand Ballroom on Navy Pier.
The facility has been the site of many New Years’ Eve events.
The ballroom is best known for its imposing 80-foot dome, sweeping grand balcony and windows with panoramic views of Lake Michigan.
The setting is bound to capture and generate excitement as the 80th anniversary celebration of the Chicago Crusader nears.
Founded in 1940 by Balm L. Leavell Jr., and Joseph H. Jefferson, the Chicago Crusader began as a newsletter to advance a Black agenda that included better housing and jobs in companies that gave more opportunities to whites than Blacks.
With a progressive, edgy editorial tone, the newspaper has often been known for being unapologetically Black and even militant in its coverage of Chicago’s political landscape.
Despite declining advertising revenues throughout the industry, the Crusader remains one of two of Chicago’s Black weekly newspapers that still publish a print edition in addition to a digital platform.
