Throughout the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the American continued to gain respect and readership,[citation needed] through its venerable editor Bennie G. Rodgers, who worked for the paper for more than 50 years, and is still known as the "dean of black journalism in St.
[citation needed] Current publisher Donald M. Suggs took the reins of The St. Louis American in the early 1980s.
His first major change: the paper had to move from being a limited-circulation paid newspaper to a widely circulated free weekly newspaper to effectively and efficiently reach the rapidly growing (and more broadly dispersing) African American population in the St. Louis area.
The American has been named the '#1 African-American Newspaper in the Nation' 12 times in recent years by the National Newspaper Publishers Association, including five straight years from 2012 to 2016; is a five-time recipient of Missouri Press Association's first place award for General Excellence; and, received the Missouri Gold Cup Award six times in the last decade.
His wife, Melba A Sweets, wrote a weekly column, "We're Tellin'", for more than thirty years.