Lerone Bennett Jr. (October 17, 1928 – February 14, 2018) was an

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...

, journalist, and

social historian Social history, often called history from below, is a field of history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to co ...

who analyzed race relations in the United States. His works include ''Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America, 1619-1962'' (1962) and '' Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln's White Dream (''2000), a book about U.S. President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. Born and raised in

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, Bennett graduated from

Morehouse College Morehouse College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Men's colleges in the United States, men's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, ...

. He served in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

and began a career in journalism at the '' Atlanta Daily World'' before being recruited by

Johnson Publishing Company Johnson Publishing Company, Inc. (JPC) was an American publishing company founded in November 1942 by African-American businessman John H. Johnson. It was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. JPC was privately held and run by Johnson until his de ...

to work for '' JET'' magazine. Later, Bennett was the long-time executive editor of ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also includes the persimmon tree. A few ''Diospyros'' species, such as macassar and mun ebony, are dense enough to sink in water. Ebony is fin ...

'' magazine. He was associated with the publication for more than 50 years.

Biography

Early life and education

Bennett was born in

Clarksdale, Mississippi Clarksdale is a city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along the Sunflower River. Clarksdale is named after John Clark, a settler who founded the city in the mid-19t ...

, on October 17, 1928, the son of Lerone Bennett Sr. and Alma Reed. When he was young, his family moved to Jackson, Mississippi. His father worked as a chauffeur and his mother was a maid; they divorced when he was a child. At twelve, he began writing for '' The Mississippi Enterprise'', a local Black-owned paper, where he was introduced to the power of media in shaping public opinion on racial issues. His early work here would later influence his career as a journalist and historian. He recalled once getting in trouble for being distracted from an errand when he happened upon a newspaper to read. He attended segregated schools as a child under the state system, and graduated from Lanier High School. Bennett attended

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Georgia, where he was classmates with

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

Bennett later recalled that this period was integral to his intellectual development.

Career

Bennett served as a soldier during the

and later pursued graduate studies. He worked as a journalist for the '' Atlanta Daily World'' from 1949 until 1953 and as city editor for '' JET'' magazine from 1952 to 1953."Lerone Bennett Jr., A Classical Author"
African-American Registry . The magazine had been established in 1945 by John H. Johnson, who founded its parent magazine, ''

'', that same year. In 1953, Bennett became associate editor of ''Ebony'' magazine and then executive editor from 1958. The magazine served as his platform for the publication of a series of articles on African-American history some of which were collected and published as books. Bennett wrote a 1954 article "Thomas Jefferson's Negro Grandchildren," reporting on the 20th-century lives of individuals claiming descent from Jefferson and his slave

Sally Hemings Sarah "Sally" Hemings ( 1773 – 1835) was a Black people, black woman Slavery in the United States, enslaved to the third President of the United States Thomas Jefferson, inherited among many others from his father-in-law, John Wayles. Hemi ...

. Bennett's article challenged conventional beliefs about Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemings, bringing attention to African-American oral histories that had been largely overlooked. By exploring these claims, Bennett contributed to a deeper, more nuanced understanding of American history. This relationship was long denied by Jefferson's daughter and two of her children, and mainline historians relied on their account. But Bennett’s reporting brought relevant Black oral histories into public view. New works published in the 1970s and 1990s further challenged the conventional story. Since a 1998

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

study demonstrated a match between an Eston Hemings descendant and the Jefferson male line, the historic consensus has shifted (including the position of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...

) to acknowledging that Jefferson likely had a 38-year relationship with Hemings and fathered all six of her children of record, four of whom survived to adulthood."Conclusions"
''Report of the Research Committee on Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings'', Monticello, January 2000. Retrieved March 9, 2011. Quote: "The DNA study, combined with multiple strands of currently available documentary and statistical evidence, indicates a high probability that Thomas Jefferson fathered Eston Hemings, and that he most likely was the father of all six of Sally Hemings's children appearing in Jefferson's records. Those children are Harriet, who died in infancy; Beverly; an unnamed daughter who died in infancy; Harriet; Madison; and Eston." Bennett served as a visiting professor of history at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. He authored several books, including multiple histories of the African-American experience. These include his first work, ''Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America, 1619–1962'' (1962), which discusses the contributions of African Americans in the United States from its earliest years. His 2000 book, '' Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln's White Dream'', questions

's role as the "Great Emancipator". This last work was described by one reviewer as a "flawed mirror", and it was criticized by historians of the Civil War period, such as James McPherson and

Eric Foner Eric Foner (; born February 7, 1943) is an American historian. He writes extensively on American political history, the history of freedom, the early history of the Republican Party, African American biography, the American Civil War, Reconstr ...

. Bennett is credited with the phrase: "Image Sees, Image Feels, Image Acts," meaning the images that people see influence how they feel, and ultimately how they act. A longtime resident of Kenwood, Chicago, Bennett died of natural causes at his home there on February 14, 2018, at age 89.

Personal life

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, Bennett married Gloria Sylvester (1930–2009) on July 21, 1956, at St. Columbanus Church in Chicago. They met while working together at ''JET''. The couple had four children: Alma Joy, Constance, Courtney, and Lerone III (1960–2013).

Legacy and honors

*2003 – Carter G. Woodson Lifetime Achievement Award from Association for the Study of African American Life and History *1978 – Literature Award of the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

*1965 – Patron Saints Award from the Society of Midland Authors *1963 – Book of the Year Award from Capital Press Club *1982 – Candace Award from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women * Honorary degrees from

, Wilberforce University,

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

, Voorhees College,

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a Public university, public historically black colleges and universities, historically black research university in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically bla ...

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

, Lincoln College, and Dillard University.

Bibliography

*''Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America, 1619–1962'' (1962) *''What Manner of Man: A Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.'' (1964) *''Confrontation: Black and White'' (1965) *''Black Power U.S.A.: The Human Side of Reconstruction 1867–1877'' (1967) *''Pioneers In Protest: Black Power U.S.A.'' (1968) *''The Challenge of Blackness'' (1972) *''The Shaping of Black America'' (1975) *''Wade in the Water: Great Moments in Black History'' (1979) *'' Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln's White Dream'' (2000), Chicago: Johnson Pub. Co
(review by Eric Foner)

References

External links

''ChickenBones: A Journal''.
Lerone Bennett Jr.'s oral history video excerpts
at The National Visionary Leadership Project *
Lerone Bennett Jr. Papers
a
Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory UniversityDiscussion panel featuring Lerone Bennett Jr.
at the 22nd annual convention of the

National Association of Black Journalists The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is a 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and professional organization of African Americans, African American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 197 ...

on KUT's " In Black America" radio program, September 1, 1998, at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Lerone Jr. 1928 births 2018 deaths 20th-century African-American people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century African-American people 21st-century American male writers 21st-century Roman Catholics African-American Catholics African-American historians African-American journalists American Book Award winners American male journalists American male non-fiction writers American Roman Catholic writers Catholics from Georgia (U.S. state) Catholics from Mississippi Deaths from dementia in Illinois Historians from Mississippi Johnson Publishing Company Journalists from Georgia (U.S. state) Journalists from Mississippi Morehouse College alumni People from Clarksdale, Mississippi Writers from Georgia (U.S. state)