Sondra Kathryn Wilson – författare

Johnson's unprecedented role as civil rights leader and literary artist was a dual one that has not been replicated since his time.This volume comprises editorials form the "New York Age" organized thematically, and at a critical introduction discusses Johnson's role in the history of the black press. By painting a vivid picture of the race problem in this nation, and by his portrayal of the successes and possibilities of his race in American life and culture, he picked at white America's conscience. This collection of writings serves to support Dr Wilson's contention that the foundation of black literature had its paternity more in James Weldon Johnson than in anyone else.

The two volumes edited by Dr Wilson, Director of the John Memorial Foundation, make an important body of Johnson's writings more readily available to scholars in African-American studies. Volume II comprises literary essays, political essays, and song lyrics. The critical introduction places Johnson in relation to other black artists, the development of African-American literature and early integrationist movements.

This collection of writings offers a glimpse into the minds of three N.A.A.C.P. leaders who occupied the centre of black thought and action during some of the most troublesome and pivotal times of the civil rights movement. The volume delineates fifty-seven years of the N.A.A.C.P.'s program under the successive direction of James Weldon Johnson, Walter White, and Roy Wilkins. These writings illustrate the vital roles of these three leaders in building a people's liberation, underscoring not only their progressive influence throughout their time in power, but also a vision of the future as race relations enter the 21st Century. Much of the material, notably "The Secretary's Reports to the Board," is published here for the first time, offering an invaluable resource for those seeking a deeper knowledge of the history of race in America