Crusading Black Journalist of 1900s is Topic of League Presentation

Dr. Alisha Knight, Associate Professor of English and American Studies at Washington College

A crusading African-American journalist of the early 1900s, and a woman, will be the topic of a talk on Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Kent County Library in Chestertown.

Dr. Alisha Knight will give a presentation on Pauline Hopkins, about whom Knight has published a biography, American Dream: An African American’s (Re)Visionary Gospel of Success.

The event is co-sponsored by the library and the Kent County League of Women Voters, beginning at 11 a.m., in honor of Black History month.

“Pauline Hopkins broke the mold of the domestic tradition of nineteenth-century women’s writing, choosing instead to use self-made African American men and women to critique the racism and sexism that prevailed in American society,” Knight said in a press release.

A prolific author, Hopkins published four novels, seven short stories and numerous articles in the Colored American Magazine, where she worked as an editor, in just four-years from 1900 to 1904. Her “Famous Men” and “Famous Women” series offered African American models of success.

A native of Maine, Hopkins lost her position at Colored American because of her habit of challenging authority figures with her then-revolutionary ideas about how literature should be used to advocate gender and racial equality.

“I’m pleased Hopkins has been gaining more attention, and I hope this presentation helps make her work more accessible to students and everyday readers. Hopkins wanted to reach a broad audience. She worked hard to produce material that was both straightforward and intellectually engaging,” said Knight.

Knight is an associate professor of English and American Studies at Washington College.

A reception with a variety of light refreshments will be held after the talk.