Conceived as a publication to entertain, inform, and uplift its readers, the The Citizen/The Berea Citizen was inseparable from the evolving purpose of its sponsor, Berea College. From its founding in 1855 as the first interracial and co-educational institution of higher learning in the American South, Berea College was intended to serve as a counterpoint to the injustices of racial inequality and poverty. First published in 1899, the Citizen functioned as an account of college life and a source of information about the surrounding community.

Although the Berea Citizen severed its connection to the college in 1984, the paper continues to publish to this day emphasizing the Berea community as a whole.

Named The Citizen through June 1958, later named The Berea Citizen.

For later editions of The Berea Citizen (1984-present) see The Berea Citizen Collection BCA 0217 HC 42