When Charlotta Bass took over as editor and publisher of the California Eagle newspaper in 1912, there were other women who were also journalists, but she was truly a rarity as a woman who actually owned a newspaper. In addition to owning the paper, Bass ran a companion printing business. Among a small number of female entrepreneurs in the black community, Bass was dedicated to serving the needs of her community and expanding economic opportunities for all African Americans.

Like many black businesses of the time, the California Eagle teetered on the edge of financial solvency for most of its existence. However, the unstable fiscal circumstances did not prevent Bass from consistently catering to the needs of dedicated subscribers for over forty years. The paper featured stories and advertisements focused on the needs of African Americans that were largely ignored by the mainstream press.

Charlotta Bass and a group of businessmen outside the Eagle offices in Los Angeles.

Bass also used her own column, "On the Sidewalk" to highlight economic activity and economic injustice along Central Avenue, the heart of Los Angeles's black community. In the 1920s, Blacks in Los Angeles were primarily employed as domestics or in personal service work. Bass believed that more Blacks should become business owners and work in commerce to expand business opportunities for members of the black community. Bass's goal was bettering the economic condition of the race by establishing an economic foundation, to "do something for the race in a business way." Black-owned businesses could count on the California Eagle for support and promotion.

In addition to running a business of her own, Bass was active in several organizations that promoted economic advancement in the larger black community. In 1930, Bass created and organized the Industrial Council, dedicated to seeking relief from unemployment for Blacks in Los Angeles, and served as president. In this capacity and as a founder and leader of the Los Angeles branch of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and as a supporter of the Los Angeles Urban League, Bass participated in a range of activities, including a survey of local businesses to determine black employment levels and boycotts of those that refused to hire and/or provide service to African Americans. Following the lead of a successful effort initiated by two other black newspapers, the Chicago Whip and the Chicago Defender, Bass was instrumental in starting a Los Angeles-based "Don't Shop Where You Can't Work" campaign. She also spearheaded a successful campaign to integrate employment at the Southern California Telephone Company. Leading up to and during World War II, she fought discrimination in the defense industry.

Like her activism in other arenas, Bass was tireless in her effort to increase economic empowerment within the black community through integrating white-owned businesses and promoting black-owned ones.