Adolph L. Reed Jr. facts for kids

Adolph Leonard Reed Jr. (born January 14, 1947) is an American professor. He is a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Pennsylvania. He studies topics like racism and U.S. politics.

He has taught at famous universities like Yale, Northwestern, and the New School for Social Research. He has written a lot about racial and economic inequality, which means differences in wealth and opportunities. He also writes for magazines like The New Republic and The Nation. He helped start the U.S. Labor Party.

About Adolph Reed

Early Life and Education

Adolph Reed Jr. was born in the Bronx, New York. He grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. In the late 1960s, he helped organize protests. These protests involved people fighting for civil rights and against the war.

He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (BA), in 1971. He got it from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Later, he earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in 1981 from Atlanta University. While studying for his PhD, he advised Maynard Jackson. Jackson was Atlanta's first Black mayor.

His Ideas and Opinions

Adolph Reed is known for his ideas about U.S. politics. He often talks about "identity politics." This is when people focus on group identities, like race or gender, more than shared economic issues. He also discusses "anti-racism," which refers to specific ways of fighting racism.

Views on Black Politics

Reed has often shared his views on Black Democratic politicians. For example, he often spoke about the politics of Barack Obama. He did this both before and during Obama's time as president.

In 1996, Reed wrote about Obama in The Village Voice newspaper. He said that some new Black leaders seemed to focus on individual success. They talked about "meeting in kitchens" and "small-scale solutions." Reed felt this approach sometimes favored how things looked over real change. He thought it was important for leaders to focus on making big changes for everyone.

In 2012, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley chose Tim Scott to be a U.S. Senator. Scott is an African American Republican. Reed wrote in The New York Times that Black Republicans like Scott are often seen as "tokens." This means they are chosen to show diversity, but they might not truly represent progress for all Black people.

Reed supported Bernie Sanders in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.