Regina
Anderson Andrews, Harlem Renaissance Librarian
Ethelene
Whitmire
The first
African American to head a branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL), Regina
Andrews led an extraordinary life. Allied with W. E. B. Du Bois, Andrews fought
for promotion and equal pay against entrenched sexism and racism and battled
institutional restrictions confining African American librarians to only a few
neighborhoods within New York City.
Andrews
also played a key role in the Harlem Renaissance, supporting writers and
intellectuals with dedicated workspace at her 135th Street Branch Library.
After hours she cohosted a legendary salon that drew the likes of Langston
Hughes, Paul Robeson, and Zora Neale Hurston. Her work as an actress and
playwright helped established the Krigwa Players and Harlem Experimental
Theater, where she wrote plays about lynching, passing, and the Underground
Railroad.
Ethelene
Whitmire's new biography offers the first full-length study of Andrews'
activism and pioneering work with the NYPL. Andrews established her career at a
time when librarianship had just been recognized as a profession. Whitmire's
portrait of her sustained efforts to break down barriers reveals Andrews's
legacy and places her within the NYPL's larger history.
Ethelene
Whitmire is an associate professor of library and information studies at the
University of Wisconsin.
Black
Studies
"[A]
much-needed, essential study. By placing Regina Andrews' life and work in
historical and familial context, the author provides insight into Andrews'
significant contributions to the twentieth century and the Harlem
Renaissance."
--Verner
Mitchell, coauthor of Literary Sisters: Dorothy West and Her Circle, A
Biography of the Harlem Renaissance
ISBN
978-0-252-03850-1
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