[2][3] Although they were primarily educators, The Bagby Brothers decided to start a four-page weekly newspaper in 1879 – the Indianapolis Leader.

James, the youngest Bagby Brother, served as business manager, while Benjamin and Robert contributed articles and editorials.

"[2] The Leader carried society news for Indianapolis’s African-American community and was vocal in encouraging blacks to migrate north from the south.

[4] The Bagby Brothers positioned the newspaper as such: "Let every colored man who favors the elevation of his race subscribe for the Leader; and let every white man who believes that slavery was a crime against humanity and that it is the duty of the ruling race to aid the Negro in his struggle for moral, social and intellectual elevation do likewise.

[3][2] The Leader re-emerged in 1886, with editor, Edward Hutchins, rebranding it as a white, four-page weekly, affiliated with the Greenback Party.