John Henrik Clarke
John Henrik Clarke, originally named John Henry Clark, was a prominent African American historian, writer, and educator born on January 1, 1915. His early life was marked by poverty and loss, particularly after his mother's death when he was just seven, which prompted him to start working and shaped his commitment to education. Despite limited formal schooling, Clarke’s intellectual curiosity was nurtured by supportive teachers and his access to a wealth of literature from affluent households where he worked.
Relocating to New York City in 1933, Clarke became deeply involved in the Harlem Renaissance and various political movements, including the Marcus Garvey movement and the Young Communist League. He began his writing career in the mid-1930s, publishing notable works that addressed African American identity and culture. His military service during World War II briefly interrupted his writing but did not deter his academic pursuits, leading him to teach courses in history and Africana studies at prestigious institutions, including New York University and Hunter College.
Clarke’s contributions to history were significant; he advocated for a pan-African perspective that positioned Africa at the center of historical narratives. His innovative approach sought to connect the experiences of people of African descent globally, addressing themes of oppression and cultural identity. Clarke's legacy continues to influence scholars and activists in the fields of African American and African studies.
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Subject Terms
John Henrik Clarke
Historian, writer, scholar, and educator
- Born: January 1, 1915
- Birthplace: Union Springs, Alabama
- Died: July 16, 1998
- Place of death: New York, New York
A scholar and vigorous supporter of the study of African history, Clarke sought to bring about a better and more positive understanding of African American identity. He wrote and edited numerous books, journal articles, and pamphlets, and he played an active role in establishing an African world community.
Early Life
John Henrik Clarke was born John Henry Clark on New Year’s Day, 1915. His parents, Willella Mayes and John Clark, worked as sharecroppers and domestic laborers to support their eight children. Although the family was poor, Clarke and his siblings did not experience enduring poverty until his mother died from pellagra (a vitamin deficiency) in 1922. After her death, Clarke began working to help support his family. He did not begin his formal education until the third grade.
Clarke’s third-grade teacher, Ms. Harris, and his fifth-grade teacher, Ms. Taylor, both shaped his thoughts on education and who or what he could become. The teachers noticed his precociousness, analytical ability, and inquisitive nature. They also realized Clarke would feign ignorance to fit in, so they continually encouraged him to learn and study more. Outside school, Clarke was exposed to various types of literature because he often worked as a domestic servant in wealthy homes. His employers maintained excellent personal libraries, which Clarke used at will. His frequent exposure to European history helped set Clarke on his way to studying the history of Africa. Although Clarke was an excellent student, his formal education ended in the middle of the seventh grade. In 1933, at eighteen years old, Clarke boarded a freight train headed for New York to pursue his dream of becoming a writer.
Once settled in New York, Clarke made his way to Harlem quite frequently, which at the time was a flourishing African American community. Harlem was Clarke’s window to the world and set the stage for his early involvement in politics. He became active in the Young Communist League, although he was mistrustful of the communist movement; he saw Marxist philosophy as a progenitor of racism and colonialism with another name. Clarke also became involved with the Marcus Garvey movement, which placed a political emphasis on the culture and history of African people. Clarke continued to pursue an informal education in New York through voracious reading. Among his literary influences were great sociologists, historians, and teachers such as W. E. B. Du Bois, J. A. Rogers, and William Leo Hansberry.
Clarke’s formative training in history began in the 1930’s under the tutelage of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, who showed Clarke the relationship between African history and world history, and Willis N. Huggins, who taught him the political meaning of history. Schomburg ran the special book collection at the public library on 135th Street. He taught Clarke to study European history first, because this method would lead him to understand why and how African people were excluded from the geography of world history. The library on 135th Street became Clarke’s university. These early years laid the foundation for Clarke’s later accomplishments.
Life’s Work
In 1935, Clarke began his writing career. After working a series of odd jobs, he landed a column in the Philadelphia Tribune newspaper. He also began writing short stories. His first published short story was “On the Other Side” (1938), but two better-known stories he wrote during this time are “Santa Claus Is a White Man” (1939) and “The Boy Who Painted Christ Black” (1940). Clarke’s writing was abruptly interrupted, however, when he was drafted into the Army. Clarke entered the Army Air Corps on September 9, 1941, at Camp Upton on Long Island, New York. An excellent administrator, he quickly moved up in rank. By the end of his second year in the military, he had reached the rank of master sergeant. He left the Army Air Corps in November of 1945 and returned to New York City.
Clarke enrolled at New York University in 1948. He also studied writing at Cornell University and the League of Professional Writers. His first book of poetry, Rebellion in Rhyme, was also published in 1948. Clarke became the editor and cofounder of the Harlem Quarterly with John O. Killens, Harold Cruz, and Lorraine Hansberry, who also were beginning their writing careers. These literary giants were some of the founding members of the Harlem Writers Guild in 1950. Clarke was able to forward his Africa-based agenda through affiliation with several organizations, course instruction, and establishing departments of Africana studies at the collegiate level. From 1949 to 1955, he served as an executive board member for the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History and attended the New School for Social Science Research. Clarke taught courses in African American and African history at the New School from 1956 to 1958, and from 1967 to 1970 he was visiting professor in African American studies at Cornell University. He went on to serve as associate professor of African and Puerto Rican studies at Hunter College and City University New York. Clarke wrote and edited numerous books, journal articles, and pamphlets on Pan-African and African American topics. In 1985, he was appointed professor emeritus of black and Puerto Rican studies at Hunter College, where he taught until his death in 1998.
Significance
Clarke’s approach to history was innovative. His pan-Africanist worldview considered Africa the epicenter of history, and the experiences of Africa’s descendants an expansion of the continent. Within this framework, Clarke developed a format useful in studying African civilization in tandem with other world civilizations and identifying patterns of oppression.
Bibliography
Adams, Barbara Eleanor. John Henrik Clarke: Master Teacher. Brooklyn, N.Y.: A&B Publishers Group, 2000. Biographical sketch covering major events in Clarke’s life.
Clarke, John Henrik. My Life in Search of Africa. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University, Africana Studies and Research Center, 1994. Reprint. Chicago: Third World Press, 1999. Collection of autobiographical essays in which Clarke recounts his lifelong quest to legitimize African history and Africana studies.
Conyers, James L., Jr., and Julius E. Thompson, eds. Pan African Nationalism in the Americas: The Life and Times of John Henrik Clarke. Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press, 2004. A compilation of critical essays by Clarke and others on topics including black nationalism, African history, and global pan-Africanist thought.
Toure, Ahati N. N. John Henrik Clarke and the Power of Africana History: Africalogical Quest for Decolonization and Sovereignty. Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press, 2008. Examines Clarke’s development and vision of African history through a discussion of his intellectual training and influences.