African American History Negro Digest Magazine Archive Documenting Black Political Thought and Cultural Production 1947 to 1969

Negro Digest

Archive

Johnson, John H. (founder). Negro Digest (1947–1969) documents African American political thought, literary production, and cultural criticism across the postwar period, the Civil Rights Movement, and the emergence of the Black Arts Movement. Published as a digest format periodical, the magazine brought together essays, fiction, journalism, and commentary by leading Black writers and public intellectuals, establishing a widely circulated forum for debate on race, identity, labor, international politics, and the arts. The issues in this archive include contributions by figures such as LeRoi Jones, Alice Childress, C. Eric Lincoln, Arna Bontemps, and Barbara Ann Teer, supporting research into African American intellectual history, Black theater, and mid twentieth century print culture.

Negro Digest. Chicago: Johnson Publishing Company, 1947–1969. Archive of six issues in printed wrappers, each approximately 7.5 x 5.5 inches. Issues included are: [1] January 1947, with articles including Richard Wright’s “How Jim Crow Feels,” Eleanor Roosevelt’s contributions, and “How Jackie Robinson Took It”; [2] February 1951, featuring “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Fighter” by Lillie Brooks and articles by Walter White and Roi Ottley; [3] November 1961, including “The New Black Renaissance” by Arna Bontemps and commentary by Duke Ellington and C. Eric Lincoln; [4] December 1962, featuring “The Menace of Mediocrity” by C. Eric Lincoln and essays on African American urban life and global politics; [5] April 1967, Second Annual Theater Issue, including LeRoi Jones’s play Slave Ship and essays by Alice Childress, Ronald Milner, and others on Black theater and performance; [6] April 1969, Annual Report on Black Theater in America, with contributions by Barbara Ann Teer, Woodie King Jr., and a roundtable including Sam Greenlee and Hoyt W. Fuller. The issues include essays, reportage, literary excerpts, and visual material documenting cultural and political developments.

Published during a period of expanding Black media and activism, Negro Digest functioned as a central platform connecting literary production with political discourse, tracing shifts from integrationist arguments in the postwar years to the cultural nationalism and artistic experimentation of the late 1960s. The inclusion of theater-focused issues reflects the increasing importance of performance as a site of political expression within the Black Arts Movement, while earlier issues address labor, segregation, and international Black identity. Light edge wear and rubbing, particularly to earlier issues; covers remain vibrant with pages clean and intact; overall very good condition. This archive provides sustained documentation of African American intellectual and cultural life across a critical period of twentieth century history.

Item #22389

Price: $985.00