African American Studies at Beinecke Library

Michelle Martin is an Associate Professor of English at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, where she teaches courses in Children’s and Young Adult Literature and Women’s Literature.

The James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection of African American Arts and Letters is pleased to announce the acquisition of 7 sketchbooks of drawings by African American artist Masood Ali Wilbert Warren.

At the height of the Depression, Negro Housewives Leagues recognized the importance of the purchasing power in the hands of African American women and endeavored to harness that power in support of African-American owned businesses. They worked to improve employment opportunities and enhance economic development in African American communities. The National Negro Housewives League was founded in 1933, uniting Negro Housewives Leagues in several major US cities, including Detroit, Baltimore, Cincinnati, and St. Louis; Fannie B.

Yale professor Elizabeth Alexander has been awarded the first Jackson Prize for Poetry from Poets & Writers, Inc. The $50,000 prize honors an American poet of exceptional talent who has published at least one book of recognized literary merit but has not yet received major national acclaim. Professor Alexander was selected by three esteemed judges: the poets Lucille Clifton, Stephen Dunn, and Jane Hirshfield.

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