Alain Locke: First Black Rhodes Scholar and Architect of the Harlem Renaissance

Alain LeRoy Locke (1885–1954) was an American philosopher, writer, and educator. He became the first African American Rhodes Scholar in 1907 and is often called the “Dean” of the Harlem Renaissance. Locke graduated from Harvard and studied at Oxford and Berlin. He faced racial barriers abroad but still excelled in literature, philosophy, Greek, and Latin. Back in the United States, he taught at Howard University and supported other Black artists and intellectuals. His legacy lives on in major works such as The New Negro and in honors like Alain Locke Hall at Howard University and schools named after him. His papers are preserved at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, and scholars continue to celebrate his impact on culture and civil rights.

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