William leo hansberry biography
- William Leo Hansberry (February 25, 1894 – November 3, 1965) was an American scholar, lecturer and pioneering Afrocentrist.
- Born on February 25, 1894 in Gloster, Mississippi, William Leo Hansberry developed an early interest in ancient history.
- William Leo Hansberry was an American scholar, lecturer and pioneering Afrocentrist.
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Born on February 25, 1894 in Gloster, Mississippi, William Leo Hansberry developed an early interest in ancient history. Hansberry would become one of the first African American students at Harvard University, completing an A.B. and M.A. in Anthropology. After graduating, he taught courses in Howard University’s History Department such as “Negro Peoples in the Cultures and Civilizations of Prehistoric and Proto-historic Times,” “Ancient Civilizations of Ethiopia” and The Civilizations of West Africa in Medieval and Early Modern Times,” in the 1920s at a moment when many ‘scholars’ were arguing that Africa had no history worthy of scholarly investigation.
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Our Mission
The William Leo Hansberry Society is an organization of Black scholars from Africa and the African Diaspora committed to promoting and diversifying the study, research, and scholarship of the ancient African past. Through our activism and outreach, we seek to bridge the obstacles that prevent Black people from acquiring the education and technical skills necessary to engage in this work
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William Leo Hansberry (1894-1965)
William Leo Hansberry was a prolific African American scholar and educator born to Elden Hayes Hansberry, a history professor at Alcorn A&M, and his wife Pauline Bailey Hansberry, on February 25, 1894. William was an accomplished student and scholar. In 1915, he attended Atlanta University, but transferred to Harvard University where he earned a B.A. and a Masters degree. William engaged in research and post-graduate work at several elite institutions including the prestigious Oxford University in England, which is the oldest University in the English-speaking world; and he also studied at the University of Chicago and Cairo University.
William Hansberry�s career as an educator began at Dillard University in Louisiana, which at the time was called Straight College. William then went on to found the African Civilization Section of the History Department at Howard University. William Hansberry was a true pioneer in the academic study of African Civilization. During a time when most Americans, including man
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William Leo Hansberry
American historian (1894–1965)
William Leo Hansberry | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1894-02-25)February 25, 1894 Gloster, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | November 3, 1965(1965-11-03) (aged 71) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Atlanta University, Harvard University |
| Occupation(s) | historian, anthropologist |
William Leo Hansberry (February 25, 1894 – November 3, 1965) was an Americanscholar, lecturer and pioneering Afrocentrist.[1] He was the older brother of real estatebrokerCarl Augustus Hansberry, uncle of award-winning playwrightLorraine Hansberry and great-granduncle of actress Taye Hansberry.
Life and career
Hansberry was born on February 25, 1894, in Gloster, Amite County, Mississippi.[2] He was the son of Elden Hayes Hansberry and Pauline (Bailey) Hansberry.[3] His father was a professor of agriculture at Alcorn A&M in Lorman, Mississippi, but died when the younger Hansberry was only three years old.[3] He and his younger brother, Carl Augustus Hansberry, were raised by their stepfather
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