As Spectrum News continues to celebrate Black History Month, we honor the late journalist and historian Howard Coles, who founded the Frederick Douglass Voice newspaper.

Coles wanted to carry the torch from Frederick Douglass so that's why he began publishing The Voice in 1933, which was eventually renamed after Douglass.

His daughter, Joan Howard, says the newspaper focused on black life in Rochester.

“If it were black, he needed to be there and he would be. It gave us a voice," Howard said.

For Howard, it was more than that.

"It was about letting everything know who we are. Look! Hello! We are a part of Rochester,” said Howard.

The newspaper's publication ended in 1996, but a lot of the Frederick Douglass Voice lives on at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.

"He ran these in the paper so that everyone can see. It did help make things better for them," Howard said as she looked at pictures taken from the migrant camps in Rochester.

Not only did he publish the Frederick Douglass Voice, he was also the first black radio personality in Rochester.

Richard McCollough, president of the Rochester Association of Black Journalists, believes it's important to continue Coles' work.

"We also have to advocate for ourselves. If there is a problem in our ranks and in our community, we should draw focus to it so that people can understand better about how to solve problems," McCollough explained.

Howard views her father as a hero in the same way as he did his idol, Frederick Douglass.

“If they had been in the same century, I don’t think the world could have handled it. My father was the same kind of person," said Howard.

The Frederick Douglass Voice newspaper can still be viewed at the Rochester Museum and Science Center. However, an appointment has to be made. Anyone interested in viewing the collection should contact Stephanie Ball at 585-271-4552, ext 315.