Between the Lines | Hubert Harrison: Forbidden Genius of Black Radicalism

Join us as we get between the lines of Dr. Brian Kwoba's research on the lesser known Black radical, Hubert Harrison. In Hubert Harrison: Forbidden Genius of Black Radicalism, Kwoba illuminates Harrison's philisophical journey to radical solutions that many find relevant today. Harrison "witnessed staggering luxury for the few alongside crushing poverty for the many. White mob violence continually haunted Black communities, while imperial conquest and world wars wrought wanton destruction upon entire nations of people." Kwoba will be in conversation with Dr. Brian Jones, author of The Tuskegee Student Uprising: A History and Black History is for Everyone. A book signing with Dr. Kwoba will follow the program.

Hubert Harrison: Forbidden Genius of Black Radicalism will receive the 2026 Frantz Fanon Outstanding Book Award from the the Caribbean Philosophical Association

Dr. Brian Kwoba grew up in Boulder, Colorado and completed degrees at Cornell, Tufts, and Oxford University. He spent six years teaching high school and middle school history before becoming an associate professor of history and director of African and African American Studies at the University of Memphis. Over the past two decades, Dr. Kwoba has been an activist on issues including anti-imperialism, immigrant workers rights, climate justice, Falastin, decolonizing education, pan-Africanism, and the movement for Black lives. He completed a scholar-in-resedence at the Schomburg Center during the 2021-22 academic year. In his spare time, he enjoys live music (especially jazz), performs as an Afrobeats DJ, and travels to Kenya where he visits his dad's side of the family. His book on Hubert Harrison won the 2026 Frantz Fanon Oustanding Book Award from the Caribbean Philosophical Association.

Dr. Brian Jones has taught many ages and grades in New York City’s public schools and the City University of New York. He served as the inaugural director of the Center for Educators and Schools at the New York Public Library and was the associate director of education at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The author of The Tuskegee Student Uprising: A History, his writing has also appeared in The New York Times, Guardian, and Jacobin.

Accessibility requests can be made by e-mail [email protected].

Copies of Hubert Harrison: Forbidden Genius of Black Radicalism will be available for purchase from the Schomburg Shop in Harlem.

Recovering a pioneer of Black radical thought

The significance of Hubert Henry Harrison (1883–1927)—as a journalist, activist, and educator—lies in his innovation of radical solutions to radical injustices. He witnessed staggering luxury for the few alongside crushing poverty for the many. White mob violence continually haunted Black communities, while imperial conquest and world wars wrought wanton destruction upon entire nations of people. These conditions sparked a global political awakening to which Harrison gave voice as a leading figure in cutting-edge struggles for socialism, internationalism, free love, freethinking, and free speech. He did far more than cultivate the rich, dark soil in which the so-called “Harlem Renaissance” would take root. Harrison also played a pivotal role in the rise of Marcus Garvey and the emergence of the largest international organization of African people in modern history. Because of his fearless radicalism, however, he has been erased from popular memory.
Hubert Harrison presents a historical restoration of Harrison’s numerous intellectual and political breakthroughs. Offering a fresh interpretation of his contributions to social movements for economic, racial, and sexual liberation, Brian Kwoba’s richly textured narrative highlights the startling and continued relevance of Harrison’s visionary thinking across generations.

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding! Join us all year long for a wide array of special events, exhibitions, and more as we celebrate this milestone and continue the legacy of Arturo Schomburg.

Schomburg100 | Exhibition | Special-Edition Library Card | Become a Member

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GUESTS Please note that holding seats in the Langston Hughes Auditorium is strictly prohibited and there is no food or drinks allowed anywhere in the Schomburg Center.

E-TRANSPORTATION NYPL policy prohibits electric transportation devices (e.g., motorbikes, e-bikes, e-scooters, e-skateboards) from being brought into or stored at library sites for any length of time, as this is the best way to keep our spaces & people safe.

AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING Programs are photographed and recorded by the Schomburg Center. Attending this event indicates your consent to being filmed/photographed and your consent to the use of your recorded image for any all purposes of the New York Public Library.

PRESS Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Leah Drayton at [email protected].

Please note that professional video recordings are prohibited without expressed consent.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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