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
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
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