A dancer in the revolution : Stretch Johnson, Harlem communist at the Cotton Club / Howard Eugene Johnson with Wendy Johnson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnson, Howard Eugene, 1915-2000, author.

Johnson, Wendy, author.

Series:

Empire State Editions

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Johnson, Howard Eugene, 1915-2000.

Johnson, Howard Eugene.

Communist Party of the United States of America. Harlem Section--History.

Communist Party of the United States of America.

Communists--United States--Biography.

Communists.

Social reformers--United States--Biography.

Social reformers.

Tap dancers--United States--Biography.

Tap dancers.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (216 p.)

Edition:

First Edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Empire State Editions, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"The life of Howard Johnson, nicknamed "Stretch" because of his height (6'5"), epitomizes the cultural and political odyssey of a generation of African Americans who transformed the United States from a closed society to a multiracial democracy. Johnson's long-awaited memoir traces his path from firstborn of a multiclass/multiethnic" family in New Jersey to dancer in Harlem's Cotton Club to communist youth leader and, later, professor of Black studies. A Dancer in the Revolution is a powerful statement about Black resilience and triumph amid subtle and explicit racism in the United States. Johnson's engaging, beautifully written memoir provides a window into everyday life in Harlem--neighborhood life, arts and culture, and politics--from the 1930's to the 1970's, when the contemporary Black community was being formed. A Dancer in the Revolution explores Johnson's twenty-plus years in the Communist Party and illuminates in compelling detail how the Harlem branch functioned and flourished in the 1930's and '40's. Johnson thrived as a charismatic leader, using the connections he built up as an athlete and dancer to create alliances between communist organizations and a cross-section of the Black community. In his memoir, Johnson also exposes the homoerotic tourism that was a feature of Harlem's nightlife in the 1930's. Some of America's leading white literary, musical, and artistic figures were attracted to Harlem not only for the community's artistic creativity but to engage in illicit sex--gay and straight--with their Black counterparts. A Dancer in the Revolution is an invaluable contribution to the literature on Black political thought and pragmatism. It reveals the unique place that Black dancers and artists hold in civil rights pursuits and anti-racism campaigns in the United States and beyond. Moreover, the life of "Stretch" Johnson illustrates how political activism engenders not only social change but also personal fulfillment, a realization of dreams not deferred but rather pursued and achieved. Johnson's journey bears witness to critical periods and events that shaped the Black condition and American society in the process"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note:

Introduction

Mark D. Naison

Acknowledgments

Wendy Johnson

PART ONE

Ch 1 Early Days

Ch 2 Harlem and the Cotton Club

Ch 3 Moving Up

Ch 4 Show Biz

Ch 5 Joining the Party

PART TWO

Ch 6 The Young Communist League

Ch 7 The War Years

Ch 8 Back Home

Ch 9 La Lucha Continua

PART THREE

Ch 10 Starting Over

Ch 11 Malimwu

Ch 12 The Cotton Club Revisited

Ch 13 Hawaii's Martin Luther King Day

Ch 14 Paris - Texas and Home Again

Time Line

Howard E. Johnson's Curriculum Vitae

Further reading

Index.

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780823256556

0823256553

9780823256563

0823256561

9780823256549

0823256545

OCLC:

878144606