Adele Logan Alexander facts for kids

Adele Logan Alexander was born on January 26, 1938. She is an American professor and author. She teaches history at George Washington University. She is well-known for her work on family history, gender, and social issues. Her studies often focus on African American families.

Education and Career

Adele Logan Alexander went to Radcliffe College and graduated in 1959. This was the same college her aunt attended. Later, when she was 46 years old, she started her advanced studies. She earned her Ph.D. from Howard University in 1994.

Today, she is a professor of American history. She teaches at George Washington University. In 2009, she was chosen to be part of the National Endowment for the Humanities. This is a group that supports research and education in the humanities.

Her Books and Stories

Alexander is a talented author. She has written many books about African American families. Some of her books tell the stories of her own family members.

• Princess of the Hither Isles: A Black Suffragist's Story from the Jim Crow South is about her grandmother. Her grandmother, Adella Hunt Logan, was a suffragist. A suffragist is someone who worked for women's right to vote.
• In Homelands and Waterways: The American Journey of the Bond Family, 1846-1926, she writes about the Bond family. This book shows how a working-class family became middle class. It covers the time from the American Civil War to the Jazz Age.
• Her book Parallel Worlds tells the story of diplomat William Henry Hunt. It also features his wife, Ida Gibbs. Ida Gibbs was an important leader in the Pan-Africanism movement in the 1910s. This movement aimed to unite people of African descent worldwide.

In 1999, Alexander appeared on the Charlie Rose TV show. She talked about racial identity and social class. In 2020, she spoke with The New York Times. This was for the 100-year anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This amendment gave women the right to vote. She shared her thoughts on how women fought for this right. She also remembered going to vote with her mother when she was a little girl.

Awards and Honors

Adele Logan Alexander has received several awards for her work.

• In 2000, she won the Black Caucus Literary Award. This award came from the American Library Association.
• In 2003, she received a special lifetime achievement award. This was from the African American Historical and Genealogical Society.

Personal Life

Adele Logan Alexander married Clifford Alexander Jr. in 1959. Her husband later became the United States Secretary of the Army. He held this important position from 1977 to 1981. Their daughter, Elizabeth Alexander, is a well-known poet and writer.