Found 135 collections related to Authors, Black

A social, political, and civil rights activist, Ida Guggenheimer was involved in a wide variety of causes and projects during her adult life. She was a member of the American Labor Party, and she was involved in the women's suffrage and trade union movements. She also participated in civil rights activities and lent her support to such causes as the trials of the Scottsboro Boys and Angelo Herndon. Her protege was Ralph Ellison, the author of Invisible Man, which is dedicated to Guggenheimer. The Ida Guggenheimer papers consist of correspondence and printed matter on Richard Wright and E. Franklin Frazier. The material regarding Wright concerns his writings and his withdrawal from the Communist Party of the U.S. Frazier was a prominent educator and sociologist. His correspondence with Guggenheimer relates mainly to an incident reported in the Black Dispatch and The People's Voice alleging that he had violated a labor organized boycott against a restaurant in Harlem that did not employ African Americans (1945). Other material peripherally relates to his career and the fight against racial segregation in Washington, D.C., during World War II. Five articles written by Frazier are included in this collection. Additionally, there is printed matter concerning the Lafargue Clinic, a mental hygiene clinic in Harlem. There is a limited amount of material on Guggenheimer herself, but there are some letters and biographical information. less

David Bryant Fulton was a poet, journalist, and novelist who often published under his pseudonym, Jack Thorne. Born in North Carolina in 1863, Fulton moved to New York in 1887 and joined the Pullman Palace Car Company as a porter in 1888. In 1892, Fulton published a pamphlet entitled Recollections of a Sleeping Car Porter, under his pseudonym. He also authored a novel, Hanover, or the Persecution of the Lowly (1900), concerning violent racial conflict in the South during that period. Between 1903 and 1906, Fulton gained prominence in Brooklyn for his letters and articles in New York City newspapers. After 1907, Fulton wrote poetry, essays, and short stories; most remained unpublished. The David Bryant Fulton collection consists of his writings and two biographical sketches. The writings include poems, a manuscript of a novel, and short stories. There are also manuscripts for two short stories entitled "Cumberland" and "The Red Rosary". The biographical sketches were written by Eures Hunter, and William Andrews. There is also correspondence between Andrews and Mrs. Fulton (1973). less

This collection consists of photocopies of FBI documents related to Ralph Bunche, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The files include the text of his Nobel Peace Prize address, a transcription of his statements to the FBI, and summaries of interviews with former colleagues at Howard University. less

C. L. R. James was a West Indian scholar, political activist, and writer. Born in Trinidad in 1901, James began his career as a writer and sports journalist. He migrated to Great Britain in 1932, where he published his first major work, The Black Jacobins, in 1938. He became acquainted with Marxism and Trotskyism in 1934, meeting with Leon Trotsky in Mexico in 1938. In New York during the 1940s, he led a small faction of left-wing Communists opposed to the policies of the Communist Party-USA, as well as to some of the main tenets of Marxism-Leninism and Trotskyism. Following his expulsion from the United States in 1953, during the Cold War, James relocated to London, residing at times in Trinidad, where he launched an opposition party against the government of Eric Williams, and in the United States, where he lectured periodically. James died in 1989. The C. L. R. James letters consist mainly of letters written by James to his former wife and political associate, Constance Webb. James's letters discuss a wide variety of subjects including love, politics (especially Marxism), art, history, sports, literature, and popular culture. Also included are miscellaneous letters and organizational materials documenting James's political activities in the United States, 1938-1953; and letters written to Webb, regarding her writings on Richard Wright, from Arna Bontemps, Lawrence Reddick, and Ellen Wright. Numerous letters also discuss the Johnson-Forest Tendency, a faction led by C. L. R. James, under the pseudonym of J. R. Johnson, and Raya Dunayevskaya (also known as Freddie Forest) within the Socialist Workers Party, which later evolved into the group Facing Reality. The letters are voluminous, averaging 20 pages on loose leaf paper; handwritten; undated; and either signed with a majuscule N (first letter of his nickname and political pseudonym Nello) or unsigned. They were transcribed and annotated by Webb. less

Mama, I Want to Sing is a gospel musical in 2 acts. The book and lyrics are by Vy Higginsen and Ken Wydro. Original music is by Rudolph V. Hawkins, Wesley Naylor and Doris Troy. The play opened at the Heckscher Theatre, Off-Broadway, on March 25, 1983. Produced and directed by Vy Higginsen and Ken Wydro (a married couple), it depicts the real life story of Higginsen's family, and in particular, her younger sister's desire to sing. This scrapbook contains highlights in the three year life of the production, Mama, I Want to Sing. It consists of photocopies of reviews and other articles, programs, letters, and a press kit. The photographs were transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division; photocopies of the photos were left in their place. A press kit is included with the collection. The press kit contains profiles of Vy Higginsen and the actors who have preformed major roles in the musical, including Deitra Hicks, Doris Troy, Katheleen Murphy-Palmer, Rudolph V. Hawkins, Charles Stewart, and Keith Pringle. less

Allan W. McMillan, a longtime columnist for The Amsterdam News and the first Black syndicated columnist, made his reputation as an entertainment writer, Broadway columnist, and publicist. The Allan W. McMillan public relations files document the public relations work of McMillan on behalf of his clients. less

William Moore, an African American dance critic, dancer, and researcher, began his career in the 1960s. He later managed the dance companies of Eleo Pomare and Joan Miller, and participated in the creation of the Association of Black Choreographers in 1967. In 1975, he founded Dance Herald, a journal about Black dance. Moore also lectured on dance history and criticism at Lehman College and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. The William Moore papers consist primarily of appointment books (1966-1980) in which Moore noted his activities; some letters; writing and notes; a resume; and an annotated treatment for a documentary film by Kermit Frazier entitled The Black Tradition in American Modern Dance (1988). less

The Frederick D. Murphy papers consist principally of press kits and news clippings that Murphy collected on hundreds of recording artists of popular music (primarily rhythm and blues, soul, disco, rock and roll, and other genres) and executives in the music industry. The bulk of the collection consists of these files and material on organizations that Murphy represented, primarily record companies and related music associations, including the Black Music Association. The years for most of the collection span the 1970s and 1980s. less

This collection consists of various screenplays, television scripts, and radio scripts of different provenances; many of these scripts were transferred from the African Americans in film collection (Sc MG 690). Additionally, many of the scripts are written by Black authors. less

The Playscripts collection is composed of plays acquired from a variety of sources and includes plays donated by the playwrights and actors who performed in the plays, as well as those purchased from dealers. It is represented by authors like Theodore Ward (Our Lan'), Zora Neale Hurston (The Fiery Chariot); James Baldwin (Blues for Mr. Charlie); Owen Dodson (Til Victory Is Won); Amiri Baraka (Black Mass); and Ruby Berkley Goodwin (Mutiny at Port Chicago). The collection contains both published and unpublished playscripts. less

Raphael Philemon Powell, a minister and native of Jamaica, served at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Harlem. He received his preacher's license and certificate of ordination in the 1950s, and a doctorate of divinity degree from the American Bible College and Manhattan Bible Institute in 1972. Powell wrote six books, which he distributed through his own publishing company, Philemon. Topics for his books include Black history, race identity, and religion. Powell died in New York in 1995, at the age of 96. The Raphael Philemon Powell papers encompass personal and pastoral papers, professional and legal papers, manuscripts, songs, and poems. Drafts of his unpublished and published writings form the bulk of this collection. Included are manuscripts for three of Powell's books Human Side of a People and the Right Name... (ca. 1937), The Invisible Image Uprooted (ca. 1979), and The Prayer for Freedom: A Memorial of the Prayer Pilgrimage (1957). Among the titles of his unpublished manuscripts in the collection are "The Dry Years Addict"; "Biography of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr."; "The Neglected Remedy for Addicts"; and "Who Are You? The Misuse of the Word Black". There is also original music and lyrics for songs composed by Powell. less

The Theophilus G. Steward research collection includes correspondence regarding Professor Seraile's research compiled for his biography Voice of Dissent: Theophilus Gould Steward (1843-1924) and Black America. The correspondence includes letters to Steward's descendants, other individuals, and repositories. Additionally, there is research material that he gathered from a number of institutions and the second draft of the manuscript. less

Jeremy Randolph was an African American actor, poet, playwright, and founder of two independent publishing houses, Rannick Playwrights Company and Amuru Press. The Jeremy Randolph papers primarily document the activities of Randolph's small, independent black publishing company, Amuru Press, during the brief period from 1972 to 1974. less

Born in 1935 in Mexico of West Indian parents, André Emilé Begeleus lived much of his adult life in New York City and worked in education, including as an education assistant at IS 201 in Harlem. He also wrote poems, essays, short novels, and other literary works. In 1975, he published a book of poetry, We Are Betrayed and Other Poems. Begeleus died in 1978. The André Emilé Begeleus literary collection (1967-1974) consists of unedited handwritten and typescript drafts of poems, essays, short stories, and a short novel. His writings express his views about the survival of African Americans in the 1970s. Eight of his handwritten poems were published in his volume of poetry. less

The In the Life Archive (ITLA), originally known as the Black Gay and Lesbian Archive (BGLA), was created by Steven Fullwood in 1999, to aid in the documentation and preservation of cultural materials produced by and about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer people of African descent. In 2004, the collection was donated to the Schombuurg Center for Research in Black Culture, and it was renamed around 2013. The name ITLA was inspired by In the Life: A Black Gay Anthology, edited by Joe Beam (1986). The ITLA contains materials dating from the mid-1950s to the present, documenting the experiences of LGBTQ men and women of African descent primarily in the United States, with some files for London and several countries in Africa. The archive is divided into two main groups: (1) Individual collections, whch include collections on individuals, such as Donna Allegra and Kevin McGruder; organizations, such as Other Countries; and research collections and (2) Miscellaneous collections, which include one-to-three folder collections containing a variety of original and printed materials including manuscripts, typescripts, galleys, correspondence, letters, reviews, and clippings. This finding aid describes the Miscellaneous collections. The bulk dates are the 1990s, but there is information about underdocumented individuals, organizations, and subjects from the 1980s, when many organizations formed in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. These Miscellaneous collections cover productive periods for the Black LGBT movement, documenting the "Black gay and lesbian renaissance" for the 1980s, as well as the 1990s and 2000s. The collection also contains HIV/AIDS information designed to reach African American communities, during the late 1980s through the present, created primarily by white institutions and the state and federal government, as well Black AIDS service organizations instituted in the mid-1980s and early 1990s. less

J. R. Casimir was a poet, editor, and founding member and secretary of the Roseau, Dominica Division of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). The papers consist of correspondence, legal documents, and printed matter relating to Casimir's writing, and they deal with social and political issues affecting the island of Dominica. less

A former editor of the Daily Worker and member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party, U.S.A., James E. Jackson was educated at Howard University, Goddard College, and Moscow University. A former trade-union organizer and co-founder of the Southern Negro Youth Congress, he participated as a field researcher in the Carnegie-Myrdal study, "The Negro in America". He was indicted under the Smith Act in the 1950s, and lived for several years as a political refugee, until the reversal of the verdict against him and his co-defendants. He contributed many theoretical articles to the literature of the communist world, especially on issues of labor, the civil rights movement, and the national question as it related to Blacks in the United States. This collection consists of speeches, articles and essays on communism, world politics, and the civil rights movement in the United States, published mainly in Political Affairs, the theoretical organ of the Communist Party, USA. Also includes are Jackson's master's thesis, "The Dialectics of National Liberation" (1973), and "Stalin's Thought Illuminates: Problems of the Negro Freedom Struggle", written under the pseudonym of Charles P. Mann. (1953). less

John H. Hewitt was a writer, editor, instructor, and a collector of Black art. Born in 1924, in New York City, Hewitt attended Harvard College and New York University. He taught English at Morehouse College and he was a medical staff writer for the journals Frontiers of Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine. He also was an associate editor for the newspaper Medical Tribune and a managing editor of Hospital Practice, a monthly magazine. Hewitt held memberships in professional organizations including the American Medical Writer Association and National Association of Science Writers, and he was a trustee with the Manhattan Country School and The Schomburg Corporation. In 1994, Hewitt was awarded the New York Association's Kerr History Prize for his article, "Mr. Downing and His Oyster House". This collection contains Hewitt's writings on Black artists (1931-1997), including Hale Woodruff, Ernest Crichlow, Alvin C. Hollingsworth, and Haitian artist Luce Turnier. Also included are historical profiles of largely unknown, but accomplished, 19th-century African American New Yorkers, such as Thomas Downing and Elizabeth Jennings, along with writings on African American Episcopalians and St. Philip's Church in New York City. Materials include research matter, drafts, and correspondence. less

Helene Johnson was one a poet of the Harlem Renaissance. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Boston University and Columbia University, the latter in in New York City in 1926. Johnson was the youngest of the African American writers of the Harlem Renaissance. She published approximately twenty-five poems which appeared in such magazines as Opportunity, Fire!!, and Vanity Fair, as well as in The New Negro. Her writings were mainly concerned with life in the ghetto and a strong identification with her racial heritage. The Helene Johnson poems consist of more than thirty unpublished and undated poems, with corrections and revisions by Johnson. There are also photocopies of articles which mention Johnson as a Harlem Renaissance poet: "Frank Horne and the Second Echelon Poets of the Harlem Renaissance" from Arna Bontemps's The Harlem Renaissance Remembered, 1972; "Propaganda and Aesthetics: The Literary Politics of Afro-American Magazines in the 20th Century", 1979; and "The Unpublished Poems of Helene Johnson.". less

Geraldyn "Gerri" Hodges Major was a journalist and editor for several African American publications including the New York Amsterdam News, Ebony Magazine, and Jet Magazine. The Gerri Major papers reflect some aspects of the career of this journalist and writer, but much of the collection consists of biographical information. less

Carleton L. Lee was an African-American educator and social worker. The Carleton L. Lee papers contain material reflecting his various positions, with files discussing aspects of his professional employment and activities. A contributor to professional, church and literary journals, his writings are also represented in the collection. less

This collection consists of personal papers, professional and literary correspondence, office files, research notes, and printed matter documenting the professional and literary activities of Léon-Gontran Damas, an author, lecturer, and acting-chairman of the department of African Studies and Research Program at Howard University (1975-1976). less

The Helen Armstead-Johnson miscellaneous theater collections (HAJMTC) were formed by over two hundred file-folder level collections (one-three file folders per personality or event). The collections contain information dating from the mid-nineteenth century to the late twentieth century, and they document early dramatic actors, minstrel shows, vaudeville, musical revues, Broadway productions, and protest dramas, among others. In addition to actors, playwrights, singers, musicians, and dancers and the productions in which they appeared, there are collections for poets and visual artists. less