In the 1930s and 1940s the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the black churches, and the Afro-American weekly newspaper took charge of organizing and publicizing demonstrations.

In 1921, he appeared in 48 cases mentioned in The Afro-American newspaper, mostly divorces and criminal defense, including the highly publicized capital murder case of Henry Brown, an Annapolis sailor.

The Afro-American newspapers encouraged blacks and praised them for staying behind to defend their homes and property.

Other accounts by survivors and the Afro-American newspapers were of a higher toll.

However, The Afro-American newspaper reported on December 11, 1937, that Johns Hopkins' officials had declined the offer.

Brown reportedly refused the challenge stating at the time to the Afro-American newspaper, "I will not fight a black man.

I used to sell the Afro-American newspaper.

Subsequently, Carl Murphy of the Afro-American newspaper suggested that Lillie join forces with the NAACP.

He served as counsel to the Baltimore chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Afro-American newspapers.

Her great-grandfather, John H. Murphy Sr., had founded The Afro-American newspaper in 1892, when very few blacks were literate, she said.