This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/1/2023
HUGHES, Langston (1901-1967). Famous American Negroes. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1954.
Square 8vo. Illustrated from photographs. Original black-lettered orange cloth (spine panel perished, some soiling to covers).
FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED TO EDITOR AND PUBLISHER JOHN H. SENGSTACKE (1912-1997). Sengstacke was one of the most important figures in the history of African American journalism and a leading civil rights activist for most of his life. He served as publisher and editor of the The Chicago Defender that was once considered the most important newspaper of its kind which, under Sengstacke, dealt with racial segregation in the United States, especially in the U.S. military during WWII. The Defender attracted the writing talents of Langston Hughes, who wrote an opinion column for more than 20 years. Sengstacke worked with President Franklin D. Roosevelt to have Black reporters admitted to presidential press conferences, pressed for opportunities of Black Americans in the U.S. Postal Service, and helped President Truman integrate Black Americans into the military.