DOCSLIB.ORG

Thegrio's 2011 African-American Leadership Survey

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Thegrio's 2011 African-American Leadership Survey TheGrio’s 2011 African-American Leadership Survey Final Report January 2011 TheGrio’s 2011 African-American Leadership Survey 1 Final Report TheGrio’s 2011 African-American Leadership Survey Final Report As a website devoted to the news, opinions, and contributions of black people in America and around the world, TheGrio.com is interested in understanding what the past teaches us about our current political moment and how it helps us prepare for the future. In this spirit, TheGrio assembled a group of contemporary academics, artists and activists to assess the most impactful African- American leaders in U.S. history. Each is uniquely suited through scholarship, experience, and commitment to black communities to assess the legacy of African-American leadership. The jury for “TheGrio’s 2011 African-American Leadership Survey” includes the following individuals. Brief bios appear at the end of this report. Majora Carter Marc Morial Barbara Young Shirley Sherrod Mark Anthony Neal James Young Roy Innis George Curry Lonnie Isabel Bev Smith Nina Kennedy Clarence Lusane Darlene Clark Hine Obery Hendricks William Jelani Cobb Mary Wilson Paula Giddings Lonnie Bunch Bakari Kitwana Robin D.G. Kelley Joshua Guild Peniel Joseph Khalil Gibran Muhammad Consuella Askew Blair Kelley Each member of the expert panel was asked to complete a survey, which asked them to assess 170 black leaders. These leaders are individuals who worked in times as distant as American slavery and moments as recent as our own. The experts made independent rankings of each leader on the list. The expert jury also nominated leaders not included in the original list. An alphabetical list of all 170 leaders and all additional names is included at the end of this report. TheGrio’s 2011 African-American Leadership Survey 2 Final Report Categories of Leadership African-American leadership has taken many forms over the decades. Our jury of experts considered contributions from political leaders in four broad areas. 1. Elected and Appointed Political Leaders 2. Lawyers, Legal Advocates and Business Executives 3. Civil Rights, Political Organizations and Religious Leadership 4. Politically Relevant Intellectuals, Writers, and Artists They have chosen the top five most impactful persons in each area. From these responses we have also compiled a list of the top 25 African-Americans in our nation’s political history. Selection Criteria We asked experts to consider the following criteria when making their selections. • Overall influence on creating substantive change in the area. • The extent to which the leader introduced new and innovative strategies or ideas, or accomplished a unique achievement in the area. • The historical legacy of the leader (both widely known and more hidden) in the area for which the leader is nominated. • The continuing relevance or the leader’s work or the leader’s contribution to a watershed historical moment. Rankings Rankings are determined using a basic formula that accounts for the multiple assessments of each leader by each member of the jury. Each jury expert ranked each of the 170 leaders on a scale from 1-5 where 1 is least important and 5 is most important. They then ranked each candidate based on their relevance within their category, for example Civil Rights. Each expert then ranked each leader based on an their overall importance among all 170 leaders. These rankings in the list of overall Top 25 and Top 10 are determined by a combination of all three scores: individual assessment, category rank, overall rank. The rankings in Top 5 for each category are computed using the individual assessment and the category score, but not the third “overall” score. Each score is computed as a percentage of 100. Document3 A score of 100% would indicate unanimous agreement among all jury experts in all three categories. All leaders in the Top 10 scored above the 50% threshold, indicating a majority agreement among jury experts across the three categories. Among the leaders tanked 11-25 scores range from 25%-50%, that jury experts had more mixed opinions about the other top leaders. TheGrio’s 2011 African-American Leadership Survey Final Report 3 Top Ten Overall, our experts had widely divergent opinions about this extensive list of leaders, but they shared extraordinary agreement about the few individuals who have had the most impact in American history. According to our experts∗ these are the top 10 African- American political leaders in U.S. history in the order they were ranked: 1. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2. Barack Obama 3. W.E.B. Du Bois 4. Thurgood Marshall 5. Malcolm X 6. Frederick Douglass 7. Harriet Tubman 8. Rosa Parks 9. Ida B. Wells-Barnett 10. Ella Baker At first glance this list may not seem surprising. These names are widely regarded as some of the greatest African-Americans to have ever lived. There are some findings here worth noting. It is fascinating to note that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is clearly the consensus choice of this group. King never held elected office. He was harshly criticized in his own lifetime both by the American public and by some members of his own community. Although he was still a very young man at the time of his assassination, his contributions shine forth as a signal, extraordinary legacy of leadership and achievement. President Barack Obama is the only living leader included among the Top 10. He is ranked a very close second to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This result is nothing short of extraordinary given that President Obama is a relatively young leader who only became known to a national American audience in the past four years. Many of the experts on this panel have written critically of various aspects of his presidency. All of the experts on this list are deeply knowledgeable of the long trajectory of black struggle in America and the many personalities who have been part of it. His presence among these giants of black political history is indicative of the symbolic and substantive importance of his presidency despite his often- embattled administration. There are four women among the Top 10. While Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks are women who are widely known and whose accomplishments are taught in American grade schools, both Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Ella Baker are less well-known figures for many black Americans. That these experts judged these women as significant contributors to black political efforts is an indication that they should be included in our broader curriculum of black history. 4 TheGrio’s 2011 African-American Leadership Survey Final Report The span of black political leaders included in this Top 10 list includes those who struggled against slavery (Tubman and Douglass); those who were active during the nadir of race relations at the turn of the 20th century (Wells-Barnett and Du Bois); those who led the struggle for Civil Rights (King, Marshall, Baker and Parks); those who insisted on self- determination (X); and a contemporary elected leader (Obama). Such a broad sweep indicates that our experts believed there were many points in American history when leadership was necessary and when black Americans stepped up to provide that leadership. The chart below shows how closely the Top 10 leaders were ranked. Think of 100 as the total number of points possible. The vertical bars show the actual number of points out of 100 received by the leader as assessed by the expert panel. 5 TheGrio’s 2011 African-American Leadership Survey Final Report Top 25 Black Leaders The list of the Top 25 leaders adds interesting diversity to the list of Top 10. 1. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2. Barack Obama 3. W.E.B. Du Bois 4. Thurgood Marshall 5. Malcolm X 6. Frederick Douglass 7. Harriet Tubman 8. Rosa Parks 9. Ida B. Wells-Barnett 10. Ella Baker 11. Booker T. Washington 12. Adam Clayton Powell 13. James Baldwin 14. Dred Scott 15. Paul Robeson 16. A. Phillip Randolph 17. Fannie Lou Hamer 18. Marcus Garvey 19. Jesse Jackson, Sr. 20. John Johnson 21. Mary McLeod Bethune 22. Carter G. Woodson 23. Nat Turner 24. Harry Belafonte 25. Charles Hamilton Houston 26. Langston Hughes (There is a three-way tie for Belafonte, Houston and Hughes) This list includes more living leaders: Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr. and Harry Belafonte. The list also includes educators Mary McLeod Bethune and Carter G. Woodson, underscoring the extent to which education has been an important site of political contributions for black Americans. The list also includes artists Robeson, Belafonte, and Hughes, which underscores the importance of artistic and literary expressions within black politics. The list includes two additional women, Hamer and Bethune, reminding us that women have made critical leadership contributions to African-American politics. This list also includes two more black Americans who lived as slaves: Scott and Turner. Their inclusion signals the continuing importance America’s slave legacy. 6 TheGrio’s 2011 African-American Leadership Survey Final Report Top Elected and Appointed Black Political Leaders We asked our expert panel to choose the top leaders in each of four different categories of leadership. In the area of Elected and Appointed Political Leaders these individuals generated the most agreement. Barack Obama Shirley Chisholm Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Harold Washington Colin Powell Barbara Jordan John Lewis President Obama received nearly unanimous support as worthy of inclusion among the top leaders. No other candidate in this area generated as much agreement. Shirley Chisholm and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. are somewhat surprising inclusions. Undoubtedly the heavy representation of New York based jury experts is likely responsible, in part, for their inclusion. Something else is likely at work here too. In the context of an Obama presidency, Chisholm’s unlikely and inspiring candidacy for the American presidency has renewed resonance, as does the ground breaking first that is the Congressional career of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Black History Month
    Black History Month As part of our passionaTe commitment to building an inclusive future for our communities, The Adecco Group proudly celebraTes the contributions, achievements, heritage and culture of African Americans during Black HisTory Month and throughout the year. To fosTer a culture of belonging and purpose, we’re offering this downloadable resource on our Diversity and Inclusion resource page. Here, you can learn more about the origins of Black HisTory Month, as well as ways to appreciaTe Black music, literature and entrepreneurship during this month and beyond. Black History Month: How It Started What started out as one week dedicated to the contributions and celebration of African American’s by Carter G. Woodson in 1926, expanded into one month starting in 1976. Woodson chose the month of February because it housed the birthdays of two men –Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln– who greatly influenced the history of the Black American culture. For more information on the observance of Black History Month (also known as National African American History Month), please refer to the links provided below: Origins of Black History Month African American History Month The Continuing Importance of Black History Month The Black American Music Experience African American influence permeates every facet of our lives and culture throughout history, and music is no exception. Much of the struggle and triumph from Black Americans has been continuously chronicled through music. We present this curated playlist of artists, from sacred music to hip hop and rap, who have made a long-lasting impression throughout different genres and periods in history.
    [Show full text]
  • Oversight of the Smithsonian Institution
    OVERSIGHT OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration ( Available on the Internet: https://govinfo.gov/committee/house-administration U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 38–520 WASHINGTON : 2019 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:08 Dec 30, 2019 Jkt 038520 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 E:\HR\OC\A520.XXX A520 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with HEARING VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:08 Dec 30, 2019 Jkt 038520 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 E:\HR\OC\A520.XXX A520 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with HEARING C O N T E N T S SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 Page Oversight of the Smithsonian Institution .............................................................. 1 OPENING STATEMENTS Chairperson Zoe Lofgren ......................................................................................... 1 Prepared statement of Chairperson Lofgren .................................................. 3 Hon. Rodney Davis, Ranking Member ................................................................... 5 Prepared statement of Ranking Member Davis ............................................. 7 WITNESSES Mr. Lonnie G. Bunch, III, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution ............................ 10 Prepared statement of Secretary Bunch ......................................................... 13 Ms. Cathy L. Helm, Inspector General, Smithsonian Institution ....................... 17 Prepared statement
    [Show full text]
  • Library of Congress Magazine January/February 2018
    INSIDE PLUS A Journey Be Mine, Valentine To Freedom Happy 200th, Mr. Douglass Find Your Roots Voices of Slavery At the Library LIBRARY OF CONGRESS MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 Building Black History A New View of Tubman LOC.GOV LIBRARY OF CONGRESS MAGAZINE Library of Congress Magazine Vol. 7 No. 1: January/February 2018 Mission of the Library of Congress The Library’s central mission is to provide Congress, the federal government and the American people with a rich, diverse and enduring source of knowledge that can be relied upon to inform, inspire and engage them, and support their intellectual and creative endeavors. Library of Congress Magazine is issued bimonthly by the Office of Communications of the Library of Congress and distributed free of charge to publicly supported libraries and research institutions, donors, academic libraries, learned societies and allied organizations in the United States. Research institutions and educational organizations in other countries may arrange to receive Library of Congress Magazine on an exchange basis by applying in writing to the Library’s Director for Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington DC 20540-4100. LCM is also available on the web at loc.gov/lcm/. All other correspondence should be addressed to the Office of Communications, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington DC 20540-1610. [email protected] loc.gov/lcm ISSN 2169-0855 (print) ISSN 2169-0863 (online) Carla D. Hayden Librarian of Congress Gayle Osterberg Executive Editor Mark Hartsell Editor John H. Sayers Managing Editor Ashley Jones Designer Shawn Miller Photo Editor Contributors Bryonna Head Wendi A.
    [Show full text]
  • The "Stars for Freedom" Rally
    National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Selma-to-Montgomery National Historic Trail The "Stars for Freedom" Rally March 24,1965 The "March to Montgomery" held the promise of fulfilling the hopes of many Americans who desired to witness the reality of freedom and liberty for all citizens. It was a movement which drew many luminaries of American society, including internationally-known performers and artists. In a drenching rain, on the fourth day, March 24th, carloads and busloads of participants joined the march as U.S. Highway 80 widened to four lanes, thus allowing a greater volume of participants than the court- imposed 300-person limitation when the roadway was narrower. There were many well-known celebrities among the more than 25,000 persons camped on the 36-acre grounds of the City of St. Jude, a Catholic social services complex which included a school, hospital, and other service facilities, located within the Washington Park neighborhood. This fourth campsite, situated on a rain-soaked playing field, held a flatbed trailer that served as a stage and a host of famous participants that provided the scene for an inspirational performance enjoyed by thousands on the dampened grounds. The event was organized and coordinated by the internationally acclaimed activist and screen star Harry Belafonte, on the evening of March 24, 1965. The night "the Stars" came out in Alabama Mr. Belafonte had been an acquaintance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. since 1956. He later raised thousands of dollars in funding support for the Freedom Riders and to bailout many protesters incarcerated during the era, including Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • What Gordon Parks Witnessed
    What Gordon Parks Witnessed The injustices of Jim Crow and the evolution of a great American photographer Tenement residents in Chicago in 1950. (Courtesy of and © the Gordon Parks Foundation) Story by David Rowell DECEMBER 3, 2018 Photos by Gordon Parks When 29-year-old Gordon Parks arrived in Washington, in 1942, to begin his prestigious job as a photographer at the Farm Security Administration, his first assignment was to shoot: nothing. The government agency, which was born of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, had originally intended to highlight rural suffering and the plight of farmers, but that mission quickly expanded to producing a vast visual record of American life. Overseen by Roy Stryker, chief of the photography unit within the agency’s historical section, the collection was a stunning, often sobering artistic vehicle for depicting the ways the government was both serving and failing its citizens. Parks had come to the FSA on a fellowship after being a staff photographer for the St. Paul Recorder newspaper and doing commercial freelance work, but he also hadn’t bought his first camera until 1937, and Stryker knew the photographer still had much to learn. First, as Parks recounted in his 1966 memoir “A Choice of Weapons,” Stryker had Parks show him his cameras — a Speed Graphic and a Rolleiflex — and promptly locked them in a cabinet. “You won’t be needing those for a few days,” the boss said. Instead, he asked his new photographer — who was raised in Kansas but also lived in Minnesota and later in Chicago — to eat in some restaurants, shop in stores, take in a movie.
    [Show full text]
  • The National Museum of African American History and Culture
    The National Museum of African American History and Culture: A Museum 100 Years in the Making Sarah J. Beer History 489: Research Seminar December 9, 2016 Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………………...iii Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………..1 Congressional History of the NMAAHC: 1916-1930……………………………………………………2 Early Reviews of NMAAHC……………………………………………………………………………...6 Contents of the Museum…………………………………………………………………………………10 History Gallery: Slavery and Freedom, 1400-1877………………………………………………12 History Gallery: Defending freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation, 1876-1968…15 History Gallery: A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond……………………………………….18 Culture Galleries, Community Galleries, and More……………………………………………...21 Personal Review and Critique of NMAAHC…………………………………………………………...22 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………...25 Works Cited………………………………………………………………………………………………27 Works Consulted…………………………………………………………………………………………28 ii Abstract: The Smithsonian Institution has been making headlines in recent news for one momentous reason: the opening of a new museum commemorating African American history. Beginning in 1916, several bills, resolutions, and hearings have taken place in Congress to introduce legislation that would create a museum, but none would be successful. John Lewis picked up the fight by introducing legislation immediately after becoming a Georgia congressman in 1986. It took Lewis almost twenty years, but in 2003 President George W. Bush finally signed the law to create the National Museum of African American History and Culture. My capstone paper studies the congressional history, early reviews, and content of the museum while also including my personal review: as a public history student, I pay close attention to how the museum presents the content and narrative, as well as the content and narrative themselves. I am able to do this because a research grant through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs gave me the opportunity to visit the museum in early November.
    [Show full text]
  • " to Be Young, Gifted, and Black." Cue Sheet for Students
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 442 171 CS 510 360 AUTHOR Jennings, Caleen Sinnette TITLE "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black." Cue Sheet for Students. INSTITUTION John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC SPONS AGENCY Department of Education, Washington, DC. PUB DATE 1996-00-00 NOTE 10p.; Additional funding provided by The Kennedy Center Corporate Fund and The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. AVAILABLE FROM http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/cuesheet/theater.html. PUB TYPE Guides - Classroom - Learner (051) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Audiences; Black Culture; Black History; Black Leadership; Class Activities; Cultural Activities; Elementary Secondary Education; Playwriting; Production Techniques; *Theater Arts; United States History IDENTIFIERS *Drama in Education; *Hansberry (Lorraine) ABSTRACT This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black." The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven activity sheets for use in class, addressing:(1) To Be Young, Gifted, and Black (a theatrical collage based upon the life and work of the African-American playwright Lorraine Hansberry, featuring scenes from her most famous plays, as well as excerpts from her speeches and letters);(2) Lorraine Hansberry: Her Life and Legacy (offering biographical material about Hansberry's life and work);(3) The World of Lorraine Hansberry (looking at important people who influenced Hansberry, and at historical, economic, and social changes that took place during her lifetime and that she was part of); and (4) Before and After the Play (presenting ideas for discussion topics and class activities before and after attending the play).
    [Show full text]
  • Waveland, Mississippi, November 1964: Death of Sncc, Birth of Radicalism
    WAVELAND, MISSISSIPPI, NOVEMBER 1964: DEATH OF SNCC, BIRTH OF RADICALISM University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire: History Department History 489: Research Seminar Professor Robert Gough Professor Selika Ducksworth – Lawton, Cooperating Professor Matthew Pronley University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire May 2008 Abstract: The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, pronounced Snick) was a nonviolent direct action organization that participated in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. After the Freedom Summer, where hundreds of northern volunteers came to participate in voter registration drives among rural blacks, SNCC underwent internal upheaval. The upheaval was centered on the future direction of SNCC. Several staff meetings occurred in the fall of 1964, none more important than the staff retreat in Waveland, Mississippi, in November. Thirty-seven position papers were written before the retreat in order to reflect upon the question of future direction of the organization; however, along with answers about the future direction, these papers also outlined and foreshadowed future trends in radical thought. Most specifically, these trends include race relations within SNCC, which resulted in the emergence of black self-consciousness and an exodus of hundreds of white activists from SNCC. ii Table of Contents: Abstract ii Historiography 1 Introduction to Civil Rights and SNCC 5 Waveland Retreat 16 Position Papers – Racial Tensions 18 Time after Waveland – SNCC’s New Identity 26 Conclusion 29 Bibliography 32 iii Historiography Research can both answer questions and create them. Initially I discovered SNCC though Taylor Branch’s epic volumes on the Civil Right Movements in the 1960s. Further reading revealed the role of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, pronounced Snick) in the Civil Right Movement and opened the doors into an effective and controversial organization.
    [Show full text]
  • A Mediagraphy Relating to the Black Man
    racumEN7 RESUME ED 033 943 IE 001 593 AUTHOR Parker, James E., CcmF. TITLE A Eediagraphy Relating to the Flack Man. INSTITUTION North Carclina Coll., Durham. Pub Date May 69 Note 82F. EDRS Price EDRS Price MF-$0.50 BC Not Available from EDRS. Descriptors African Culture, African Histcry, *Instructional Materials, *Mass Media, *Negro Culture, *Negro Histcry, Negro leadership, *Negro Literature, Negro Ycuth, Racial Eiscriminaticn, Slavery Abstract Media dealing with the Black man--his history, art, problems, and aspirations--are listed under 10 headings:(1) disc reccrdings,(2) filmstrips and multimedia kits, (3) microfilms, (4) motion pictures, (5) pictures, Fcsters and charts,(6) reprints,(7) slides, (8) tape reccrdings, (9) telecourses (kinesccFes and videotapes), and (10) transparencies. Rentalcr purchase costs of the materials are usually included, andsources and addresses where materials may be obtainedare appended. [Not available in hard cecy due tc marginal legibility of original dccument.] (JM) MEDIA Relatingto THE BLACKMAN by James E. Parker U.). IMPARIMUll OF !ULM,tOUGAI1011 &WINE OfFKE OF EDUCATION PeN THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON 02 ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS Ci STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION re% POSITION OR POLICY. O1 14.1 A MEDIAGRAPHY RELATING TO THE BLACK MAN Compiled by James E. Parker, Director Audiovisual-Television Center North Carolina College at Durham May, 1969 North Carolina College at Durham Durham, North Carolina 27707 .4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii FOREWORD iii DISC RECORDINGS 1-6 FILMSTRIPS AND MULTIMEDIA KITS 7- 18 MICROFILMS 19- 25 NOTION PICTURES 26- 48 PICTURES, POSTERS, CHARTS.
    [Show full text]
  • Programs & Exhibitions
    PROGRAMS & EXHIBITIONS Winter/Spring 2020 To purchase tickets by phone call (212) 485-9268 letter | exhibitions | calendar | programs | family | membership | general information Dear Friends, Until recently, American democracy wasn’t up for debate—it was simply fundamental to our way of life. But things have changed, don’t you agree? According to a recent survey, less than a third of Americans born after 1980 consider it essential to live in a democracy. Here at New-York Historical, our outlook is nonpartisan Buck Ennis, Crain’s New York Business and our audiences represent the entire political spectrum. But there is one thing we all agree on: living in a democracy is essential indeed. The exhibitions and public programs you find in the following pages bear witness to this view, speaking to the importance of our democratic principles and the American institutions that carry them out. A spectacular new exhibition on the history of women’s suffrage in our Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery this spring sheds new light on the movements that led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution 100 years ago; a major exhibition on Bill Graham, a refugee from Nazi Germany who brought us the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and many other staples of rock & roll, stresses our proud democratic tradition of welcoming immigrants and refugees; and, as part of a unique New-York Historical–Asia Society collaboration during Asia Society’s inaugural Triennial, an exhibition of extraordinary works from both institutions will be accompanied by a new site-specific performance by drummer/composer Susie Ibarra in our Patricia D.
    [Show full text]
  • Paul Robeson Written by Eloise Greenfield, Illustrated by George Ford
    TEACHER’S GUIDE Paul Robeson Written by Eloise Greenfield, Illustrated by George Ford About the Book SYNOPSIS Reading Level: Grade 4 Winner of the 1976 Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor and Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, this biography tells the story Interest Level: Grades 3–6 of Paul Robeson, who overcame racial discrimination to become an Guided Reading Level: Q international entertainer and civil rights activist. Accelerated Reader® Paul Robeson was born on April 9, 1898. The son of a pastor, Paul Level/Points: 5.1/1.0 learned from his father to love written and spoken words, to be proud of being black, and to stand up for what he believed was Lexile™ Measure: 810L right. These were the things that guided Paul throughout his life. *Reading level based on the After achieving academic and athletic success in both high school Spache Readability Formula and college, Paul gained fame as a singer and actor. His talent and Themes: African American his deep, rich voice won him admirers and fans worldwide. But as he History, Performing Arts, traveled the globe for performances, Paul became disturbed by the poverty and injustices that he saw. In the 1940s and 1950s he began Theater, Perseverance/ speaking out. He fought for freedom. At that time, such activism Overcoming Obstacles, was not tolerated. Paul Robeson came to be considered an enemy Dreams and Aspirations, of the United States government. Discrimination, Biography, With dignity and a dynamic spirit, Paul Robeson—athlete, actor, Nonfiction, United States singer, and civil rights activist—stayed true to himself and took a History, African American stand for his beliefs.
    [Show full text]
  • Biographical Sketch of Fannie Lou Hamer
    ERICA AM F E IN C D OI YOUR V Fannie Lou Hamer: A Biographical Sketch By Maegan Parker Brooks, PhD “I question America. Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off the hook because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings, in America?” With this critical question, delivered at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, Fannie Lou Hamer became revered across the nation. Malcolm X referred to her as the “country’s number one freedom fighting woman” and rumor has it Martin Luther King, Jr—though he loved her dearly— feared being upstaged by Hamer’s soul-stirring speeches. Over her lifetime (1917-1977), Fannie Lou Hamer traveled from the Delta of Mississippi to the Atlantic City Boardwalk, from Washington, D.C. to Washington State, from Madison, Wisconsin to Conakry, Guinea—always proclaiming the social gospel that all human beings are created equal and that all people are entitled to basic rights of food, FIGURE 1: Fannie Lou Hamer addresses the shelter, dignity, and a voice in the government to 1964 Democratic National Convention. which they belong. Fannie Lou Hamer held strong convictions, but she was no idealist. Born the twentieth child of James Lee and Lou Ella Townsend, Fannie Lou and her large family struggled to survive as sharecroppers on plantations controlled by Whites. As an outgrowth of slavery, the sharecropping system was largely designed to keep Black people indebted to White landowners. This economic control held social and political implications as well.
    [Show full text]