Kersuze Simeon-Jones’ survey of the writings and philosophies of key African and diasporic writers points to the early recognition of the importance of intellectual rigor as a shaping force in such transformational ideologies and movements as indigénisme, Negritude, the Harlem Renaissance, and African Nationalism. Through Toussaint L'Ouverture, Blyden, and Crummell; DuBois and Garvey; and Césaire, Nkrumah, and Malcolm X, Professor ... Read moreSimeon-Jones effectively illuminates the importance of historical awareness in fostering moral responsibility and national pride in black communities from Haiti to Ghana.
H. Adlai Murdoch, University of Illinois Kersuze Simeon-Jones analyzes a wide variety of literary and political figures who engage complex issues, arguing how literary and political movements inspire, influence, and intersect. These leaders, some of whom have earned doctorates and others who are self-taught, represent different linguistic communities—English-speaking, French-speaking, and Spanish-speaking. Yet they, as well as their ideas, crisscross geographic boundaries, traveling to and from Africa, North America, Europe, and the Caribbean. What is especially exciting is the way in which Simeon-Jones seamlessly integrates women like Ida B. Wells, Amy Jacques-Garvey, Anna Julia Cooper, Paulette Nardal, Jane Nardal, and Zora Neale Hurston into her discussion.
Renée Larrier, Rutgers University Show Less