Charlotta Bass (c. 1880-1969) was the first Black woman to run for vice president of the United States. She was also a lifelong journalist and activist, who made it her life’s work to end segregation and discrimination.
Charlotta Bass (c. 1880-1969) was the first Black woman to run for vice president of the United States. She was also a lifelong journalist and activist, who made it her life’s work to end segregation and discrimination.
You’re probably familiar with rebels without a cause, but what about rebels with a cause? This month on Womanica, we’re talking about women who broke rules that were meant to be broken. From the “Godmother of Title IX” Bernice Sandler, to the most prominent figure of the People Power Revolution, Corazon Aquino, to the “Queen of Civil Rights” Ruby Hurley, these women took major risks to upend the status quo and create meaningful change.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, Abbey Delk, and Alex Jhamb Burns. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.
Follow Wonder Media Network:
Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. And this is Womanica.
This month, we’re talking about Rebels WITH a cause: women who broke rules that were meant to be broken. These women took major risks to upend the status quo and create meaningful change.
Today we are talking about the first Black woman to run for vice president of the United States. She was also a lifelong journalist and activist, who made it her life’s work to end segregation and discrimination.
Let’s talk about Charlotta Bass.
Charlotta was born in Sumter, South Carolina. Her exact birthdate is unknown, but it’s believed to have been around 1880. Her parents were Hiram and Kate Spears, and Charlotta was one of 11 children. By 1900, she’d moved to Rhode Island, and attended Pembroke College. There, she had her debut working in journalism at the Black-owned Providence Watchmen newspaper.
After a few years she moved to Los Angeles, where the warm weather helped ease her asthma and arthritis.
Charlotta took a job at The Eagle, the oldest Black newspaper on the West Coast. The newspaper’s office was nestled in a neighborhood full of Black churches, bars, and businesses. Charlotta started at the newspaper by selling subscriptions for $5 a week, but soon found herself documenting the racial realities of this neighborhood and greater LA. When the founder and editor, John Neimore, got sick, he asked Charlotta to take over for him..
Charlotta later said it was the talk of the town. No one had ever heard of a woman running a newspaper.
And it didn’t help that the newspaper was actually owned by a white man. He offered Charlotta his support for her new position, on the condition that she be his “sweetheart”. To which she said: “Get out, you dirty dog!” She borrowed $50 to buy the newspaper at an auction.
Charlotta had her work cut out for her as the new owner, editor, and publisher of the paper. She started by renaming it The California Eagle. Charlotta also hired a new editor who later became her husband: J.B. Bass. With his help,they grew the paper to be the largest Black-owned newspaper on the West Coast, with a circulation of over 60,000 papers. Over her 40 years running the newspaper, Charlotta focused on stories of racial discrimination and inequity, to shed light on these issues and push for change.
When the movie “The Birth of a Nation” came out in 1915, Charlotta denounced it in the paper for glorifying the crimes of the Ku Klux Klan. She also reported extensively on police brutality, workplace discrimination, and housing segregation. She even started the Home Owners Protective Association in 1945, which challenged housing covenants in the courts. These covenants made it illegal for Black people to live in white neighborhoods.
A historian at the California African American Museum said Charlotta wasn’t ahead of her time. Actually, she said: “I think she was right on time. She had very sophisticated ideas about what the United States could be.”
Sometimes, Charlotta’s strong stances made her a target for dangerous attention. Once, in 1925, members of the Ku Klux Klan showed up at her office late at night.
Charlotta pulled a pistol out of her desk. She later wrote that she didn’t know which end was which, but she figured it out and scared the intruders away.
Charlotta's husband would often tell her: “Mrs. Bass, one of these days you are going to get me killed.” She would reply, “Mr. Bass, it will be in a good cause.”
J.B. Bass passed away in 1934. Charlotta continued to run The California Eagle until 1951. By then, she had been involved in local politics for a few years. But in 1952 she ran as the first Black woman for vice president, in a bid with Vincent Hallinan, a San Francisco lawyer. Their campaign was a long shot, but Charlotta didn’t care. Her slogan was: “Win or Lose, We Win by Raising the Issues.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower won the presidency, and his running mate Richard Nixon became vice president. But Charlotta’s campaign was still a win for American history, and she was hailed by civil rights leaders of the time for her work in shaping the country’s political agenda.
Once the campaign ended Charlotta moved to a smaller city south of L.A.. She remained an active community member until her last days. In 1960, she published her memoir and 9 years later, she passed away.
All month, we’re talking about rebels with a cause. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!