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Charles Chesnutt
Author And Activist, Charles Waddell Chesnutt Received The NAACP's Spingarn Medal On This Date In 1928 For His
"pioneer work as a literary artist depicting the life and struggle of Americans of Negro descent, and for his long and useful career as a scholar, worker and freeman in one of America's greatest cities."
Chesnutt Was A Master Short Story Writer From Fayetteville, North Carolina. His Paternal Grandfather Was A White Slaveholder. Chesnutt, Himself, Looked White But Lived His Life As A "Voluntary Negro," A Term Applied To Fair-Skinned Blacks Who Willingly Embraced Their Blackness.
Issues Of "Passing," Racial Identity And Miscegenation Would Be Recurring Themes In Chesnutt's Writings, Throughout His Career. Like Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Chesnutt Used Negro Dialect And Folklore In His Works.
At Various Times He Worked As A School Teacher, School Principal, Court Stenographer, Journalist And Lawyer.
In 1880 He Was Appointed Principal Of The Fayetteville Normal School, Known Today As Fayetteville State University. He Headed The School For Three Years Before Moving To Cleveland, Ohio. The University's Chesnutt Library, Was Named In His Honor.
Charles Chesnutt Gained National Attention As A Writer When Houghton-Mifflin Published His Collection Of Seven Short Stories, The Conjure Woman, In March, 1899. He Also Wrote Nine Novels, Three Of Which Were Published -- The House Behind The Cedars (1900), The Marrow Of Tradition (1901) And The Colonel's Dream (1905).
Chesnutt Was A Staunch Member Of The NAACP. He Worked With W. E. B. DuBois And Booker T. Washington, In The Cause Of African American Advancement In America.
Charles W. Chesnutt Died November 15, 1932.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
Posted By: Hugh Gaddy
Friday, July 3rd 2009 at 12:21AM
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Very interesting indeed.
Friday, July 3rd 2009 at 11:37PM
Jen Fad
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THANK YOU SO MUCH, Irma, as Always. You know I gotta represent NC from time to time..LOL Having grown up in Fayetteville, I was familiar with Dr. Chesnutt's name through the campus library at Fayetteville State University. When I went to UNC-Chapel Hill, I double-majored in Journallism and English. I was introduced to his work through my Black Literature courses. I think you'll enjoy Chesnutt's work. "The Goophered Grapevine" is one of my favorites.
Monday, July 6th 2009 at 9:43AM
Hugh Gaddy
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Thanks Hugh, you have introduced me to someone from my home state...I am so sorry that this is the first time I have heard of him and I am a Black history major therefore I am over joyed by this blog.
I will be making a call to our local Barnes and Nobles today(smile)and, again thank you for this much needed information you bring us every day...
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA
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Hugh, thanks as I find I must go to Barnes and Nobels in person to get them to understand my call yesterday. Isn't education / educationg a wonderful thing as related to ," BLACK IN TIME: A moment in our History"(smile)
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA
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