Robert L. Allen
Robert L. Allen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Lee Allen May 29, 1942 |
| Died | July 10, 2024 (aged 82) |
| Alma mater | University of California, San Francisco |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Senior editor of The Black Scholar; Co-founder of Wild Trees Press |
| Notable work | Black Awakening in Capitalist America: An Analytic History (1969) Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America (co-edited with Herb Boyd, 1995) |
| Spouse |
Janet Carter (m. 1995) |
| Awards | American Book Award (1995) |
Robert Lee Allen (May 29, 1942 – July 10, 2024) was an American activist, writer, and adjunct professor of African-American Studies and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.[3] Allen received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, San Francisco, and previously taught at San José State University and Mills College.
Allen was Senior Editor (with Editor-in-Chief and Publisher Robert Chrisman) of The Black Scholar: Journal of Black Studies and Research,[4] published quarterly or more frequently in Oakland, California, by the Black World Foundation since 1969.
Biography
[edit]Robert Lee Allen Jr. was born on May 29, 1942, in Atlanta, Georgia, to parents who were both community activists; His mother, Sadie (Sims) Allen, was a teacher at Spelman College, and his father was a mechanic.[1]
He attended the University of Vienna, 1961–62, and Morehouse College (B.S., 1963), did graduate studies at Columbia University (1963-64), and earned an M.A. from the New School for Social Research in 1967.[2]
His first book, published in 1968, was Black Awakening in Capitalist America: A Historical Analysis, and it was followed by several other notable titles, including Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America: An Anthology (1995), co-edited with Herb Boyd.[5]
In the 1980s, Allen co-founded with Alice Walker the publishing company Wild Trees Press,[6] publishing the work of Third World writers.[7]
Allen married Pam Allen in 1965.[8] He died at his home in Benicia, California, on July 10, 2024, at the age of 82.[1][9]
Works
[edit]- Black Awakening in Capitalist America: An Analytic History (1969)
- A Guide to Black Power in America: An Historical Analysis (1970)
- Reluctant Reformers: The Impact of Racism on Social Movement in the U.S. (1983)[10]
- Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America (co-edited with Herb Boyd, 1995;[11] reprinted 1996)
- Strong in the Struggle: My Life as a Black Labor Activist (with ILWU militant Lee Brown, 2001)
- Honoring Sergeant Carter: A Family's Journey to Uncover the Truth About an American Hero[12] (with Allene G. Carter, 2004)
- The Port Chicago Mutiny: The Story of the Largest Mass Mutiny Trial in U.S. Naval History[13][14] (Heyday Books, 1989, republished 2006).
Awards
[edit]- Guggenheim Fellowship (1977)[15]
- American Book Award (1995, with Herb Boyd[16]) for Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America[17]
- The Joseph Small Legacy Award[13] (1998) of the Black Hollywood Education and Research Center.[18] The award honors Port Chicago disaster survivor Joseph R. Small Jr.,[19] a member of The Port Chicago 50,[20] who provided the narrative for the first chapter of The Port Chicago Mutiny.
- One of 12 honorees of the San Francisco Public Library's Long Walk to Freedom living-history exhibition[21] (2003)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Sandomir, Richard (July 22, 2024). "Robert L. Allen, Who Recounted a Naval Mutiny Trial, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ^ a b "Allen, Robert L(ee) 1942-". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ^ Robert Allen
- ^ The Black Scholar
- ^ Muse, Daphne (August 1, 2024). "In Memoriam: Professor Emeritus Robert Allen | Remembering Dr. Robert L. Allen". Letters & Science | UC Berkeley. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ^ Maya Jaggi, "Redemption songs" - Alice Walker profile, The Guardian, January 15, 2005.
- ^ Karla Simcikova, To Live Fully, Here and Now: The Healing Vision in the Works of Alice Walker, Lexington Books, 2007, p. 148.
- ^ Evans, Sara (1980). Personal Politics: The Roots of Women's Liberation in the Civil Rights Movement & the New Left (Unabridged. ed.). New York: Vintage Books. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-307-77360-9.
- ^ Boyd, Herb (July 19, 2024). "RIP Robert L. Allen, a Black scholar in every sense of the words". Detroit Metro Times.
- ^ CPUSA Online - The Nature of the "White-Black Relationship"
- ^ Claire E. White (November 1997), "Interview with Herb Boyd", Writers Write - The Internet Writing Journal.
- ^ Honoring Sergeant Carter
- ^ a b :: Port Chicago Survivors - History & Concept ::
- ^ Heyday Books: The Port Chicago Mutiny
- ^ John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation 1977 Fellows Page Archived 2006-02-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ I've Known Rivers | Author Biography Index
- ^ ABA: Book Industry Awards Archived July 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ :: The Black Hollywood Education & Resource Center ::
- ^ PRX » Pieces » The Port Chicago 50: An Oral History
- ^ "The Job That Takes over Your Life". September 27, 1996.
- ^ News Releases - Long Walk to Freedom - SFPL.org
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| People | |
| Other |
- 1942 births
- 2024 deaths
- 20th-century African-American educators
- 20th-century African-American writers
- 20th-century American educators
- 21st-century African-American writers
- American Book Award winners
- American book publishing company founders
- American magazine editors
- University of California, San Francisco alumni