Tag Archives: Richard Wright

Era Bell Thompson: Affirming American Meritocracy

Nearly without fail, the excerpt from Era Bell Thompson’s American Daughter, which I included in my book Black Writing from Chicago, is my students’ favorite. Leaving her native North Dakota in 1931, Era Bell Thompson came to settle in Chicago … Continue reading

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Richard Wright: Hurling Words into the Darkness

Constantly criticized for being too ideological, too sociological, too sensational, and controversial for both the bluntness of his literary style, as well as the directness with which he confronted racism and injustice, Richard Wright (1908-1960) nonetheless became a towering figure … Continue reading

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Drake and Cayton’s Black Metropolis

St. Clair Drake (1911-1990) and Horace R. Cayton, Jr. (1903-1970) will forever be bound together for their collaboration on the groundbreaking Black Metropolis: A Study of Negro Life in a Northern City (1945).  Drake was born in Suffolk, Virginia, graduated … Continue reading

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