Importance of Black press discussed at Ashland event with 'Richmond Planet' descendants

Where does Black media stand in today’s climate? Can the stories of the Black experience still be told and heard? And what lessons can Black media learn from the stories behind the efforts of the historic, post Civil War Black-owned newspaper The Richmond Planet?

Those were some of the questions a group of panelists discussed Saturday night at the Ashland Theatre at “The Value of Black Media: The Story of The Richmond Planet Newspaper and its ‘Fighting Editor’ John Mitchell Jr.”

Mitchell’s descendant, John H. Mitchell, who is part of the Richmond Planet Foundation, was one the panelists on hand to discuss his family's legacy.

John Mitchell Jr. was the second editor of the paper, and held the position for 45 years, during a time when many Black residents were just starting to be taught to read.

The lynching of Black citizens was a common occurrence, and the Planet documented and wrote about the lynchings on a regular basis, which was noted in the film “Birth of a Planet,” which was shown prior to the panel’s Q & A.

“You can't tell history without telling African American history. You can't tell Richmond's history or Virginia's history without telling John Mitchell and the Richmond Planet's history. It simply can't be done,” said panelist Reginald Carter.

Randolph-Macon professor Alphine Jefferson said the Planet was able to cater to Richmond’s African American population in a way that hadn't been done elsewhere.

“Having traveled to 45 different states and talked to Black people in all of those states, Mr. Mitchell's newspaper was successful because Richmond is exceptional,” said Jefferson. “What was created in Richmond was a highly educated, very sophisticated, very skillful Black community, which was allowed to create and maintain this very successful newspaper.”

Moderator Samantha Willis noted that back when the Planet was being published, print was power — it had the power to tell the stories African Americans were experiencing. 

“In what ways is that true still today, that print is power? And why are Black-owned and Black-led media outlets still relevant in today's society?” she asked.

In the digital age, media has shifted away from accuracy, Carter believes.

“The shift has been (to be) as divisive, as provocative as possible to garner a reaction, whether positive or negative,” he said. “So now you see a lot of things are kind of expedited and being pushed out without actually having the facts.”

Carter said having Black media tell their stories today is more important than ever, because if the Black press doesn’t tell their community's stories, they'll only be a footnote in someone else’s press.

“Black media, Black press is vital to today's world,” he said. “What I've noticed with Black press, there's been an emphasis on telling the story: the true, the false, the right, the wrong, the bad, the ugly. Because it's the truth; it's the story.”

To continue telling John Mitchell Jr.'s story and that of the Richmond Planet, Nathaniel Shaw, Artistic Director of the New Theatre at Firehouse, told the crowd that his theater will be producing a play called “The John Mitchell Jr. Project.”

“Part of what we do, when we develop plays, is looking at Virginia’s complicated history and its place in the United States, and finding the lesser known and untold stories” he said. "We hope to take this story well beyond the reaches of the Firehouse Theatre."

Shaw said they are doing the project in collaboration with the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, and hope to have a production ready for stage sometime in Spring 2027.