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Books by Lerone Bennett
Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America
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What Manner of
Man: A Biography of Martin Luther King
Pioneers In
Protest,
Black Power U.S.A.
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The Human Side of
Reconstruction 1867-1877 /
Great Moments in Black History
Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln's White Dream
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The Shaping of Black America
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Lerone
Bennett, Jr. Bio
Lerone Bennett, Jr., prolific writer and social historian, has served on the
editorial staff of Ebony for over 50 years. He has
authored articles, poems, short stories, and over nine books on
African American history and current political challenges facing
blacks. Bennett skillfully explores United States racial history
its struggle for equality.
Born in 1928
Clarksdale, Mississippi, Lerone Bennett Jr. was raised in
Jackson, Mississippi and later became in 1949 a proud graduate
of Morehouse College, the nation's only private, historically
black, four-year, liberal arts college for men in Augusta,
Georgia. After earning his B.A., Bennett began working as a
journalist for the Atlanta Daily World that same year.
In 1952 he became
city editor of Jet. He became associate editor of Ebony
in 1953, promoted to senior editor in 1958 and executive editor
in 1987. Bennett and he was promoted to senior editor of the
magazine in 1958. His history articles have become one of the
magazine's literary hallmarks.
His work at Ebony resulted in Bennett's first book, a seminal
work,
Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America,
1619-1962. The book, with its comprehensive examination of
the history of African Americans in the United States, gave
Bennett a reputation as a first-rate popular historian. In his
eight subsequent books, Bennett has continued to document the
historical forces shaping the black experience in the United
States. His other works include, What Manner of Man?,
Pioneers In Protest and The Shaping of Black America.
His articles have
earned him a reputation for combining literary eloquence and
comprehensive scholarship with readabilty appealing to the
popular market, all the while producing an insightful critique
of racial injustice. His best known books include
Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America,
What Manner of
Man: A Biography of Martin Luther King,
Pioneers In
Protest, Black Power U.S.A.,
The Human Side of
Reconstruction 1867-1877,
Great Moments in Black History,
Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln's White Dream and
The Shaping of Black America .
Bennett's numerous
honors include the prestigious Literature Award of the Academy
of Arts and Letters, the Book of the Year Award from Capital
Press Club and the Patron Saints Award from the Society of
Midland Authors. He has served as advisor and consultant to
national organizations and commissions, including the National
Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders.
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updated 30 September 2007 |
