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Hubert Harrison: The Voice of Harlem Radicalism, 1883-1918
Hubert Harrison was an immensely skilled writer, orator, educator, critic, and political activist who, more than any other political leader of his era, combined class consciousness and anti-white-supremacist race consciousness into a coherent political radicalism. Harrison's ideas profoundly influenced "New Negro" militants, including A. Philip Randolph and Marcus Garvey, and his synthesis of class and race issues is a key unifying link between the two great trends of the Black Liberation the labor- and civil-rights-based work of Martin Luther King Jr. and the race and nationalist platform associated with Malcolm X.
The foremost Black organizer, agitator, and theoretician of the Socialist Party of New York, Harrison was also the founder of the "New Negro" movement, the editor of Negro World , and the principal radical influence on the Garvey movement. He was a highly praised journalist and critic (reportedly the first regular Black book reviewer), a freethinker and early proponent of birth control, a supporter of Black writers and artists, a leading public intellectual, and a bibliophile who helped transform the 135th Street Public Library into an international center for research in Black culture. His biography offers profound insights on race, class, religion, immigration, war, democracy, and social change in America.
The foremost Black organizer, agitator, and theoretician of the Socialist Party of New York, Harrison was also the founder of the "New Negro" movement, the editor of Negro World , and the principal radical influence on the Garvey movement. He was a highly praised journalist and critic (reportedly the first regular Black book reviewer), a freethinker and early proponent of birth control, a supporter of Black writers and artists, a leading public intellectual, and a bibliophile who helped transform the 135th Street Public Library into an international center for research in Black culture. His biography offers profound insights on race, class, religion, immigration, war, democracy, and social change in America.
600 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 2008
12 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Babcock Perry
7 books3 followersJeffrey B. Perry is an independent scholar and archivist.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 3, 2013
Hubert Harrison was a genius. Dr. Perry is a selfless scholar who lectures widely on Harrison, without compensation.
February 11, 2021
This book—Part I of an extensive biography on Hubert Harrison’s life and work—is a much needed account of an often overlooked crusader for Black liberation. Hubert Harrison was a radical in the fullest sense of the word. He was uncompromising in his advocacy for Black people, and was a surgical truth teller who faced-down not just white supremacists, but prominent African American “race leaders” such as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois for their ideological shortcomings and unprincipled leadership. Harrison—perhaps above all—was a dynamic intellectual who pioneered race AND class consciousness among Black folks in the United States. As the author wrote, Harrison was the “most class conscious of the race radicals, and the most race conscious of the class radicals.”
Author Jeffrey Perry discusses how Harrison’s elite oratory skills, scholarship, and writing ability, coupled with his principled advocacy for the working-class masses of Black people, made him the preeminent Black radical of his era. In fact, as Perry describes, Harrison is one of the most influential figures in the 20th Century struggle for Black liberation, as he directly inspired and influenced the “race-first” Black nationalists (such as Marcus Garvey, who galvanized Black people around the world) and the “class-first” Black socialists (such as A. Phillip Randolph, who would go on to influence Dr. King.). Harrison is thus partially responsible for the explosion of both race and working-class consciousness among African people throughout the world during the 20th Century.
Perry traces Harrison’s early years as a colonial subject of the then Denmark island-colony of St. Croix, where Black folks were essentially low-wage slaves. Perry details the race and class dynamics of St. Croix (and contrasts them with that of the United States), and highlights how Harrison’s years as a colonial subject awakened his awareness of class conflict. Perry further traces Harrison’s intellectual development—from his years on St. Croix to his first decade or so in the United States—where Harrison moved in and out of various intellectual circles / movements (Freethought movement, agnosticism, and socialism).
A large portion of the book details Harrison’s dealings with the Socialist Party. Harrison—who gravitated towards socialism in part because of his sympathies with working class people and his own experience as an impoverished colonial subject—believed that socialism could serve as the answer to white supremacy *if* white folks committed to ridding themselves of their “white first” attitude. Harrison believed that white supremacy was instrumental and necessary for the functioning of capitalism and imperialism, and as such, identified all three systems (white supremacy, capitalism, and imperialism) as systems that needed to be dismantled. However, Harrison would soon come to realize the futility of pursuing Black liberation under the confines of the white Socialist Party, as the white left revealed itself to be just as violently anti-Black as other segments of white America. Thus, while Harrison believed that the collective ownership of the “three means of existence" (i.e. food shelter, and clothing) was a necessary condition for Black liberation, he continuously stressed that a socialist revolution was aggressively and persistently impeded by pure white racism. Ultimately, as the book discusses in detail, Harrison’s disappointment with the persistent racism in the Socialist Party hardened his attitude toward working with the white left, and inspired his “race first” program, which catapulted him into race leadership and spearheaded the “New Negro” race consciousness movement.
The book details Harrison’s many organizations—especially the Liberty League and “the Voice”—which he used to spread his message of Black empowerment and liberation. While Perry does make clear throughout the book that Harrison had many faults (he was terrible with money and was largely an absentee husband and father), it also leaves no room for doubt that Harrison was a giant in his era. He was the foremost Black intellectual and speaker of his time, and should be remembered in the same vain as W.E.B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, and Marcus Garvey. Looking forward to reading Part II of Perry's retelling of Harrison's life!
Author Jeffrey Perry discusses how Harrison’s elite oratory skills, scholarship, and writing ability, coupled with his principled advocacy for the working-class masses of Black people, made him the preeminent Black radical of his era. In fact, as Perry describes, Harrison is one of the most influential figures in the 20th Century struggle for Black liberation, as he directly inspired and influenced the “race-first” Black nationalists (such as Marcus Garvey, who galvanized Black people around the world) and the “class-first” Black socialists (such as A. Phillip Randolph, who would go on to influence Dr. King.). Harrison is thus partially responsible for the explosion of both race and working-class consciousness among African people throughout the world during the 20th Century.
Perry traces Harrison’s early years as a colonial subject of the then Denmark island-colony of St. Croix, where Black folks were essentially low-wage slaves. Perry details the race and class dynamics of St. Croix (and contrasts them with that of the United States), and highlights how Harrison’s years as a colonial subject awakened his awareness of class conflict. Perry further traces Harrison’s intellectual development—from his years on St. Croix to his first decade or so in the United States—where Harrison moved in and out of various intellectual circles / movements (Freethought movement, agnosticism, and socialism).
A large portion of the book details Harrison’s dealings with the Socialist Party. Harrison—who gravitated towards socialism in part because of his sympathies with working class people and his own experience as an impoverished colonial subject—believed that socialism could serve as the answer to white supremacy *if* white folks committed to ridding themselves of their “white first” attitude. Harrison believed that white supremacy was instrumental and necessary for the functioning of capitalism and imperialism, and as such, identified all three systems (white supremacy, capitalism, and imperialism) as systems that needed to be dismantled. However, Harrison would soon come to realize the futility of pursuing Black liberation under the confines of the white Socialist Party, as the white left revealed itself to be just as violently anti-Black as other segments of white America. Thus, while Harrison believed that the collective ownership of the “three means of existence" (i.e. food shelter, and clothing) was a necessary condition for Black liberation, he continuously stressed that a socialist revolution was aggressively and persistently impeded by pure white racism. Ultimately, as the book discusses in detail, Harrison’s disappointment with the persistent racism in the Socialist Party hardened his attitude toward working with the white left, and inspired his “race first” program, which catapulted him into race leadership and spearheaded the “New Negro” race consciousness movement.
The book details Harrison’s many organizations—especially the Liberty League and “the Voice”—which he used to spread his message of Black empowerment and liberation. While Perry does make clear throughout the book that Harrison had many faults (he was terrible with money and was largely an absentee husband and father), it also leaves no room for doubt that Harrison was a giant in his era. He was the foremost Black intellectual and speaker of his time, and should be remembered in the same vain as W.E.B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, and Marcus Garvey. Looking forward to reading Part II of Perry's retelling of Harrison's life!
December 15, 2012
For reviewers' comments by scholars and activists CLICK HERE and CLICK HERE For more about Hubert Harrison and this biography CLICK HERE
Considered more race conscious than A. Philip Randolph and Chandler Owen and more class conscious than Marcus Garvey, Hubert Harrison is the key link in the ideological unity of the two great trends of the Black Liberation Movement—the labor and civil rights trend associated with Martin Luther King Jr., and the race and nationalist trend associated with Malcolm X.
Harrison was described by A. Philip Randolph as “the father of Harlem radicalism” and by Arthur Schomburg as "the foremost Afro-American intellect of his time."
During the 1910s and 1920s he was either the creator, or among the founders, of “almost every important development originating in Negro Harlem — from the Negro Manhood Movement to political representation in public office, from collecting Negro books to speaking on the streets, from demanding Federal control over lynching to agitation for Negroes on the police force.” He was also a key figure in developing Caribbean radicalism; he exhibited a rare willingness to learn from the peoples and cultures of Africa; and his (often unattributed) ideas and writings from this period significantly shaped the contours of radical Black thought on matters of race and class in the twentieth century.
Harrison was not only a political radical, however. Rogers described him as an “Intellectual Giant and Free-Lance Educator,” whose contributions were wide-ranging, innovative, and influential.
He was an immensely skilled and popular orator and educator who spoke or read six languages; a highly praised journalist, critic, and book reviewer (reportedly the first regular Black book reviewer in history); a pioneer Black activist in the freethought and birth-control movements; a bibliophile, library builder, and library popularizer who helped develop the 135th Street Public Library into an international center for research in Black culture; and a promoter and aid to Black writers and artists.
This volume should appeal to readers interested in biography, American History, African-American History, Labor History, American Studies, Harlem Renaissance, Caribbean History, Book Reviewing, Radicalism, Socialism, African Diaspora Studies, Race, Class, Sociology, Politics, Ethnic Studies, St. Croix, Public Intellectuals, A. Philip Randolph, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Freethought, Radicalism
April 22, 2013
I thought Perry did a wonderful job shining light on this lesser-known figure from Harlem, his influences, and his ability to share his views with the overall community. I had never heard of Hubert Harrison before, but it became clear why his forthright manner, candidness, and criticism of some key figures in Harlem at the time led to his virtual blacklisting in the community. I'm thrilled that Perry revitalized his image and introduced him to the masses. Well-researched, insightful book!
June 1, 2015
The life and trials of the sadly overlooked early 20th century Harlem intellectual.
June 4, 2019
Good biography of a deeply important but under studies historical figure.
January 19, 2022
This book, reconstructing the life of a most principled leader for whom sparse records seem to have survived, represents an admirable effort. It was a bit difficult to read and unfortunately, ends several years before Harrison's death. I was especially disappointed that Harrison's influence in future decades was not explored. Did he merely disappear from history? Were future leaders influenced by Harrison's radical philosophy? For me, this lack of follow through was a disappointment.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews