Oral history interview with Andrew Sturgeon (A.S.) "Doc" Young, 1971.

Biographical Note

Andrew Sturgeon "Doc' Young (1919-1996) attended Hampton Institute (University). While there, he served as Editor of the school newspaper and earned a Bachelor's degree in business administration. Professionally, Young served in several capacities including as a newspaper editor, publicist, and commentator. During the 1950s, Young worked at Jet, where he served as Associate Editor, Assistant Managing Editor, Managing Editor and Sports Editor. At Ebony Magazine, he served as Associate Editor and Sports Editor. During his career, Young also held editorial positions at the Los Angeles Sentinel and the Chicago Defender and published articles in newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated, and TV Guide.

Scope and Contents

In this 1971 interview with Henry La Brie, Andrew Sturgeon "Doc" Young discusses his family life, education, and work as a writer with several publications. He describes how he became interested in sports as a child, and in journalism as a student at Hampton Institute. Young recounts how he came to live and work in California and his work outside of the press. Discussing the black press, Young shares his views on its ownership. He also discusses the circulation, distribution, and sales locations of papers as part of the marketing strategy. Young details the differences between the black and the white press. Young shares his thoughts on changes in the black press, its role as a relocation tool during the Great Migration, and the need for balanced reporting in the black press. In addition, he discusses changes in the press after the 1968 Kerner Commission report and the freedom of being an independent writer are also discussed.

Subjects

• African American journalists.
• African American press.
• African Americans--Civil rights.
• Chicago defender.
• Ebony (Chicago, Ill.)
• Editors--Interviews.
• Interviews.
• Journalists--Interviews.
• La Brie, Henry G., interviewer.--http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/ivr
• Miami (Fla.)--Newspapers.
• Newspaper publishing--Economic aspects--United States.
• Newspapers--Circulation.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• United States--Race relations.
• United States. National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders.--Report.
• Young, A. S. "Doc", 1919-1996--Interviews.