Customer Reviews

Hubert Harrison: The Voice of Harlem Radicalism, 1883-1918 (vol. 1)

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This is a perfect treasure. Tell everyone about this book. The book explains this unfortuately forgotten man and details the deleterious, wanton, and chicanery of most movements in America overlooking African Americans. Moreover, this book is also a reminder that immigrant groups were seen through racist and divisive views, particulary, during the labor movement in this country. Furthermore, we see how important it is for us to reclaim independent brilliant voices from the past.

Until I saw the Book TV segment about this book, I was unaware that a man like Harrison had lived and spoke so eloquently concerning the need for the meaningful participation of the disenfranched underpaid, over-charged peoples of Harlem, in particular, and by extension, the U.S. in general. I bought the book and have learned how Harrison was considered and treated as if he were a bothersome inconvenience by so many of the political and racial "leaders" who seemed to have been more willing to "go along to get along." I thank Jeffery Perry for his informative historical biography. I find it interesting that his name is rarely mentioned in other media venues.

There is little information in print on early 20th century black radicalism and I had always assumed that it didn't exist. This book admirably corrects my false assumption.