George S. Schuyler
George S. Schuyler was an influential African American journalist, novelist, and political activist known for his unique perspectives on race and society in the United States. Born in Rhode Island and raised in Syracuse, New York, he served in the Army and became a first lieutenant before venturing into a career in journalism and politics. Schuyler initially joined the Socialist Party and later became involved with Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association, though he became disenchanted with Garvey's ideas. His literary work includes the satirical novel "Black No More," published in 1931, which critiques prevailing racial attitudes and organizations, including the KKK and the NAACP, through a provocative narrative about racial identity.
Schuyler's writing often reflected his conservative and iconoclastic views, challenging both black and white societal norms. He believed that racial issues were deeply intertwined with socio-economic factors, arguing that the perception of racial inferiority stemmed from economic disadvantage rather than inherent worth. His career, which spanned from the Harlem Renaissance to the 1960s, was marked by his willingness to confront and criticize established beliefs, earning him both notoriety and respect. Schuyler's work remains significant for its bold examination of race relations and its challenge to the status quo.
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Subject Terms
George S. Schuyler
Author
- Born: February 25, 1895
- Birthplace: Providence, Rhode Island
- Died: August 31, 1977
- Place of death: New York, New York
Author Profile
Born in Rhode Island and raised in Syracuse, New York, George S. Schuyler dropped out of high school to join the Army. There, as a member of the famous Twenty-fifth U.S. Infantry regiment, he served seven years before being discharged as a first lieutenant in 1919. After several odd jobs in New York City, Schuyler returned home and joined the Socialist Party, for which he held several offices.
Schuyler was later involved with Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association, but he became disillusioned with Garvey’s plan to return to Africa. Schuyler often spoke publicly on political and cultural issues, and by the 1920s, he had joined a black socialist group, Friends of Negro Freedom, and had accepted a job on the staff of the organization’s official magazine, The Messenger. He also wrote as the New York correspondent for an African American weekly newspaper, the Pittsburgh Courier. He continued to live in New York and write for the Pittsburgh Courier until 1966.
Schuyler’s literary identity evolves from his career as a journalist and from his deep respect for his mother’s ideas and values. The product of a middle-class family, Schuyler comments in his autobiography, Black and Conservative, that his mother taught him to consider all sides of a question and to establish and stand by principles of personal conduct whether others agreed or not. True to his mother’s teaching, Schuyler seldom opted for the popular road. His public actions and political views were often regarded as extremely conservative and iconoclastic.
In 1931, Schuyler published the novel Black No More, which is about a scientist who invents a method to turn black skin to white. The book is satirical and subtly attacks the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), the Nation Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the organized religions of the white and black races. There are caricatures of then-prominent figures such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, and James Weldon Johnson. The book as been reprinted multiple times since it was first published.
His cynical view of race in America led to razor-sharp attacks upon racial patriots (black leaders he perceived as self-interested and bigoted) and upon white supremacists, who, he believed, exploited racism for economic reasons. In his autobiography he asserts that blacks never thought themselves inferior to whites; rather, blacks “are simply aware that their socio-economic position is inferior, which is a different thing.” In chiding race organizations as perpetuating the problems of racism, Schuyler contended that ridding the country of racial hatred would absolutely disrupt the national economy.
His irreverent attacks on the traditional values and cherished beliefs of black and white society earned him much notoriety during his forty-year career, which spanned from the Harlem Renaissance to the 1960’s.
Bibliography
Davis, Arthur P. “George Schuyler.” In From the Dark Tower. Washington, D.C.: Howard University Press, 1974. Print.
Ferguson, Jeffrey B. The Sage of Sugar Hill: George S. Schuyler and the Harlem Renaissance. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005. Print.
Gayle, Addison, Jr. The Way of the World: The Black Novel in America. Garden City, N.J.: Anchor Press, 1975. Print.
Kerwick, Jack. "Black and Right: Forgotten Black Conservative, George S. Schuyler." American Thinker. American Thinker, 5 Aug. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
Kerwick, Jack. "No Room for George Schuyler This Black History Month." Beliefnet. Beliefnet, 18 Feb. 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
Schuessler, Jennifer. "Crossing the Lines Dividing the Races." New York Times. New York Times, 3 Sept. 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
Schuyler, George. Black and Conservative: The Autobiography of George S. Schuyler. New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House, 1966. Print.