ABSTRACT
Historian Rayford Logan identified the period during which Woodson lived as the Nadir (1865–1965) or the lowest point in African American history (Scally, 1985). This seemingly elevates Woodson’s achievements as unprecedented. In the 100 years that followed the emancipation of enslaved peoples of African descent, many African Americans accomplished much more than the majority society would have preferred, given the racial climate of those times. Such accomplishments would not have been possible without the multiple avenues, assets, and perspectives shared within the African American community. If emancipation had not only freed enslaved peoples but also freed the hearts and minds of the White majority, Woodson’s work may have been considered minor in this 21st century. Indeed, progress for African Americans was slowed, hindered by what Brandon refers to as “decades of apartheid” and “blatant racial bigotry as well as economic, social, and political disenfranchisement.” But, while adulation of such an eminent scholar is not unwarranted, as Brandon notes, Woodson was not the only organic intellectual of that period. Brandon begins to highlight this fact toward the end of her chapter.
