Henrietta Delancey Henkle (March 10, 1909 – April 26, 1983), better known by her pen name Henrietta Buckmaster, was an activist, journalist, and author best known for writing historical studies and novels.
She was also active in the
civil rights movement.
Biography
Buckmaster was born in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
in 1909 to editor Rae D. Henkle and Pearl (Wintermute) Henkle and grew up in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. She attended
Friends Seminary
Friends Seminary is an independent K-12 school in Manhattan. The oldest continuously coeducational school in New York City, in recent years it has served approximately 800 students. The school's vision statement declares its purpose is "to prep ...
and the
Brearley School
The Brearley School is an American all-girls private school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. It educates approximately 770 girls in grades K–12, with approximately 50 to 65 students per grade.
In addition to being a member ...
.
Buckmaster became a journalist and author focusing on historical books and novels, as well as being a book reviewer for some time. A major theme of her books was human freedom, and her subjects were often American slaves and women.
In 1944 she was
awarded a
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
,
for which she received a sponsorship from
W.E.B. Du Bois
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist.
Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relativel ...
. Her most well known book, ''Let My People Go'', focused on the
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...
and the
Abolition
Abolition refers to the act of putting an end to something by law, and may refer to:
*Abolitionism, abolition of slavery
*Capital punishment#Abolition of capital punishment, Abolition of the death penalty, also called capital punishment
*Abolitio ...
movement.
Her writing was praised for "without departing from fact" being "as dramatic as it is informative."
She combined scholarship with the "concern of the civil libertarian."
Buckmaster was also involved in the civil-rights movement, as well as fighting for the rights of American Indians and prisoners.
She played a role as one of the leaders of
The Committee for Equal Justice.
[McGuire, Danielle L. ''At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance--a New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power'' New York: Vintage Books, 2011. p. 26.]
Personal life
She was briefly married to
Peter John Stephens
Peter John Stephens (31 July 1912 in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire – 11 June 2002) was a writer of historical fiction books for teens and three children's books. He was also a poet, a lyricist for operas and musicals, and a playwrigh ...
, and wrote under the name Henrietta Henkle Stephens. She died in 1983 after a short illness at 74.
Partial list of published works
* ''Tomorrow Is Another Day'' (1934)
* ''His End Was His Beginning'' (1936)
*
Let My People Go' (1941)
* ''Deep River'' (1944)
* ''Fire in the Heart'' (1948)
* ''Bread from Heaven'' (1952)
* ''And Walk in Love'' (1956)
* ''Lucy and Loki'' (1958)
*
Flight to Freedom' (1958)
* ''All the Living'' (1962)
* ''Walter Raleigh: Man of Two Worlds'' (1964)
* ''Paul: A Man Who Changed the World'' (1965)
*
Freedom Bound' (1965)
*
The Seminole Wars' (1966)
*
Women Who Shaped History' (1966)
* ''The Lion in the Stone'' (1968)
*
The Fighting Congressmen: Thaddeus Stevens, Hiram Revels, James Rapier, Blanche K. Bruce' (1971)
*
The Walking Trip' (1972)
*
Wait Until Evening' (1974)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckmaster, Hentietta
1909 births
1983 deaths
Friends Seminary alumni
Brearley School alumni
Journalists from Ohio
Activists for African-American civil rights
American civil rights activists
American women civil rights activists
20th-century American journalists