Constant C. Dejoie, Sr.

Constant "C. C." Dejoie Sr. (1881-1970) was a businessman and entrepreneur in New Orleans, Louisiana who co-founded The Louisiana Weekly newspaper. He was African-American.

Biography Dejoie was born on November 11, 1881, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to his parents Aristede Dejoie and Ellen Dejoie (née Chambers), a family of Creole heritage. Dejoie was educated in the New Orleans Public Schools and subsequently attended Southern University, graduating in 1898. He worked in various capacities in the New Orleans area, later joining the Unity Industrial Life Insurance Company which his father had founded. Dejoie served as business manager of the then-small enterprise.

In 1921, Dejoie became president of Unity Life, initiating a period of rapid expansion of its business. The company suffered significantly during the Great Depression, and Dejoie carried the company through the economic downturn by focusing on whole life policies. The intent of the newspaper was to provide an outlet and a voice for the African-American community, a serious need in the Jim Crow South of the time. Dejoie and Taylor provided $2000 for initial financing, and they established its offices at the corner of Gravier St. and Saratoga St. (now Loyola Ave.) at the black-owned . Its first publication was on September 19, 1925, published under the name The New Orleans Herald. However, it was renamed The Louisiana Weekly less than one month later. Taylor left The Louisiana Weekly after one year, leaving management of the enterprise entirely to Dejoie. In the early years of the publication, Dejoie made use of his business associates to sell the newspaper and to gather information for publication.