ABSTRACT
Harold Cruse is arguably one of the sharpest critical thinkers of the twentieth century. Among African American intellectuals he is almost in a class by himself, centered in his own cultural history, steeped in the traditions of activism, and committed to social, economic, and cultural justice. Frequently an individual critical thinker may have cultural centeredness but no knowledge or experience in the activist tradition. In the case of Cruse, he thought out of the profound experiences of ordinary African people, and this gave him a position on facts and phenomena that was unlike that of many other contemporary intellectuals. His insights into the dilemmas of African Americans are so fluid as to be one with the best interests of the African American community. Perhaps in our history no social critic-and that is what he called himself-could ever be more organic to the conditions of the people than Cruse.
