Rayford W. Logan and the Dilemma of the African American Intellectual

by Kenneth Robert Janken

Overview

This biography of the African-American activist and scholar, Rayford W. Logan, draws from his own work, letters, diaries and autobiography to create a portrait of a lesser-known member of the black scholarly elite in the mid-20th century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558490697
Publisher:	University of Massachusetts Press
Publication date:	04/15/1997
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.69(h) x 0.88(d)
Lexile:	1520L (what's this?)

Editorial Reviews

This interesting academic biography portrays Rayford W. Logan (1897-1982) as a scholar and ``diligent second-tier leader'' in the civil rights struggle. Janken, who teaches African American studies at the University of North Carolina, traces his subject's background as a member of Washington, D.C.'s so-called light-skinned black elite, and his embrace of Pan-Africanism after his service in WW II brought him wider experience of racism. Logan worked early for voter registration and for a stronger relationship between organized labor and civil rights groups and he also edited What the Negro Wants (1944), a collection of essays by prominent African Americans. But he was also a history professor, teaching at Howard University from 1938 to 1968, and hence equally involved in academic projects: he briefly edited the Journal of Negro History and wrote The Negro in American Life and Thought: The Nadir, 1877-1901 . Unfortunately, Logan's earlier achievements were to be overshadowed by his vituperative campaign of his later years criticizing African Americans for identifying themselves as ``black,'' a term he considered separatist. Photos not seen by PW . (July)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The biography of African-American scholar and activist Logan (1897- 1982). An associate of DuBois and others, he never attained the national stature he sought, despite his considerable achievements, because of the dilemmas he faced in the role he adopted as mediator between minority and majority cultures. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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