St. Clair Drake
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St. Claire Drake (January 2, 1911 – 1990) was an influential American sociologist.
Drake was born in Suffolk, Virginia. Upon graduation from the Hampton institute, he became involved with The Society of Friends in the south. Drake got involved in an anthropological project after that and later published his studies as Deep South. He was moved by the potential that social science could have on changes in racial causes.
In 1946, Drake became a professor at Roosevelt University. He was one of the first black faculty members at Roosevelt. While there, he created one of the first African American Studies programs in the United States. Drake taught at Roosevelt for 23 years before leaving in 1973 to chair the African-American studies program at Stanford University. He was responsible for creating the first African American Studies Department at Stanford.
Most of his writings provide accounts of strife and advances in race relations. His collaboration with Horace Cayton in 1943 led to the publishing of "Black Metropolis", a landmark study of race and urban life. Another of Drake's works, which demonstrates his devotion to race relations, was "Black Folk Here and There"(1987).
St. Claire Drake was a member of the American Society for African Culture (1957-1969). He also served as advisor to the first prime minister of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. The Roosevelt University named a center after him. It is called "The St. Clair Drake Center". The center is dedicated to the memory of St. Claire Drake.
[edit] References
- Roosevelt University The St. Claire Drake Center for African and African-American Studies. Roosevelt University (2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
- St. Claire Drake. Chicago Tribute. Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
- St. Clair Drake, anthropologist & educator. The African American Registry (2005). Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
- Drake, St. Clair (1911-1990). The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed (2005). Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Drake, St. Claire |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | African-American sociologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 2, 1911 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Suffolk, Virginia |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1990 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
