Adele Logan Alexander (born January 26, 1938) is an American academic and author who is a history professor at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

. She is known for her work on family history, gender, and social issues in African American families.

Education and career

Alexander graduated from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

, her aunt's alma mater, in 1959. She earned her Ph.D. from

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

in 1994, after beginning her doctoral work at age 46. She is a professor of American history at George Washington University. In 2009 she was named to the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

Biography

Alexander is an author known for her books on African American families, including notable members of her family which she chronicled in ''Princess of the Hither Isles: A Black Suffragist's Story from the Jim Crow South'' about her grandmother the suffragist Adella Hunt Logan. In ''Homelands and Waterways: The American Journey of the Bond Family, 1846-1926'', Alexander chronicles the transition from a working poor family to the middle class in the period from the Civil War to the Jazz Age. Her book ''Parallel Worlds'' describes the life of the diplomat William Henry Hunt and his wife Ida Gibbs who was a leading figure in the

Pan-Africanism Pan-Africanism is a nationalist movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous peoples of Africa, indigenous peoples and diasporas of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atla ...

movement in the 1910s. In 1999 she was on the

Charlie Rose Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show ''Charlie Rose (talk show), Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg L.P., Bloombe ...

show where she talked about racial identity and class. In 2020, Alexander was within a group of women talking with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' about the 100-year mark of the

Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution prohibits the United States and its U.S. state, states from denying the Suffrage, right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex, in effect recogni ...

, during the discussion she shared her thoughts on the actions taken by women to obtain the right to vote and her personal memories of going to vote with her mother as a young child.

Selected publications

* * * *

Awards and honors

In 2000, Alexander won the 2000 Black Caucus Literary Award from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

. In 2003, she received a lifetime achievement award from the African American Historical and Genealogical Society.

Personal life

She married Clifford Alexander Jr. in 1959; he served as

Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

from 1977 until 1981. Their daughter, Elizabeth Alexander, is a poet and writer.

References

External links

* , October 12, 2010 * , October 30, 2020 {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Adele Logan Living people Radcliffe College alumni Howard University alumni George Washington University faculty 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century African-American writers American women historians 21st-century American historians Historians of African Americans African-American historians 20th-century American historians 21st-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American women writers 21st-century African-American women writers 1938 births 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics 20th-century American women academics African-American women academics