The Black Intellectual Tradition: Reading Freedom in Classical Literature

by Angel Adams Parham, Anika T. Prather

There is a shared story that has been largely forgotten: our common heritage in the classics and the liberal arts. This heritage has united, instructed, and inspired us all—slave and free, White and Black—over the few centuries of our history as a nation. As we have in recent years collectively wandered far away from the gracious and firm tutelage of the classics, much has been lost. These works were the ancient teachers that Black leaders used to hold our nation accountable to standards that we pointed toward but so often failed to uphold. The Black Intellectual Tradition offers back to us all, as Americans, a shared relationship with our living tradition in the Greco-Roman and Christian classics.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Christian

253 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Jonathon McKenney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of great stuff in here, and a worldview (very Christian) that I have not really been exposed to so interesting to read. It felt like two books at times, put together into one, and I think I preferred the first section, as it had more variety of thinkers and scholars. However the deep dive into Anna Julia Cooper and her life's work was educational, and I liked reading her own writing in the appendices. However at times the treatment of Dr. Cooper felt a little hagiographic

[Fr. Nicholas Blackwell, O. Carm. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a great book. It helps readers of faith to enter into the black intellectual tradition in the USA. The book has challenge me to not merely read the intellectuals the pointed to but to read them within an ancient history of human thought. Now, I want to good back a reread Fredrick Douglas. I’m happy I read this book!

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an intellectually-stimulating and soul-enlarging work. Through it I was introduced to the writings of Anna Julia Cooper, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Toni Morrison. I'd known about the latter four, but I had not read them extensively. This book took me beyond the cursory knowledge that I had; it has left me wanting to read more of their writings. That these people were able to cultivate a life of mind to the degree they did, and under the strident circumstance of their time, is exemplary. That their ideals were opposed by many is shameful.
That they were characterized by hope is evident; that their hope was tied to their vast knowledge of Classic texts and the Scriptures shines through.

'Discovering the Jewel of Anna Julia Cooper' is at the beginning of one of the chapters. It is an apt description. She was a living epistle. I hope you will read this book and discover her for yourself through her writings in the Appendix of the book.

In this time of much division, I see this work as a bridge. It is a work of truth, albeit truth not without grace. The authors, like the persons they showcase, are true ministers of reconciliation.

[Christine Norvell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated Dr. Parham's chapters most. Equiano's narrative was new to me.

[Russel Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tracked this down on the strength of my affinity for Dr. Prather, still expecting a dry anthology. Instead I found a lively essay on the history and contemporary relevance of Classical education for all students but especially black ones. She and Dr. Parham explain through the examples of Dr. King, WEB DuBois, Toni Morrison, and Frederick Douglass, with whom I am familiar, and Anna Julia Cooper, who I really met for the first time, how the Classics have shaped the understanding of great black educators and thinkers and how they can continue to shape minds today. As I often tell people who seek to replace the Great Books with the James Baldwins and Toni Morrison of the world, these are the books that molded your literary heroes. The authors beautifully trace those allusions in Morrison’s work; there is room enough for the ancients of Greece and Rome, the greats of Britain and France, and for Toni Morrison in a robust curriculum. The plea is for a rigorous but empathetic education that meets students where they are but still expects much from them, that develops thinkers rather than the technocratic heirs of Booker T. Washington’s vision, and that does so while sharing with them the Gospel. And that plea should resonate with parents and students of all colors.

[J. Alfred · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good and important book for everyone who is serious about education being both Classical and Christian.

[Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

An important contribution to the growth and maturity of the classical Christian education movement. Although I have some questions and concerns about the book, we need to be having these discussions!