Harold Cruse facts for kids

Harold Wright Cruse (born March 8, 1916 – died March 26, 2005) was an American teacher and writer. He was a social critic and taught about African American studies at the University of Michigan. He taught there until the mid-1980s. His most famous book is The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual, which was published in 1967.

Biography

Early Life and Interests

Harold Cruse was born on March 8, 1916, in Petersburg, Virginia. His father worked for the railway. After his parents got divorced, Cruse moved to New York City.

When he was young, Cruse became very interested in the arts. This was largely because his aunt often took him to shows on the weekends. During World War II, Cruse joined the U.S. Army. He served in both Europe and North Africa. After returning home, he attended the City College of New York, but he did not finish his degree. In 1947, Cruse joined the Communist Party for several years.

Views on Culture and Society

Cruse believed that the arts often showed black culture in a way that was not quite right. He felt that white-dominated art forms did not truly represent black experiences. He pointed to works like George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess and Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun as examples.

Many people thought Cruse was against "integration." He called it "assimilation." He felt that integration policies only focused on black people joining white society, not the other way around. He thought this showed that blackness was not fully accepted in mainstream America.

However, Cruse actually believed in a "pluralistic society." This means a society where different groups can keep their own unique cultures and traditions. He thought that for any group to truly be equal, they first needed to build and control their own political, economic, and cultural resources. Without this self-determination, he believed black people would have to rely on others to include them. This could lead to black institutions and traditions disappearing, instead of everyone sharing equally in society.

Cruse was very critical of American society. But he was even more critical of black leaders and thinkers. He believed they sometimes lacked the deep knowledge needed to bring about real and lasting change in society.

Academic Career and Key Ideas

After his book The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual came out in 1967, Harold Cruse was invited to teach at the University of Michigan. He started lecturing there in 1968. He taught in the African-American Studies program at the Center for Afro-American and African Studies. He continued teaching until the mid-1980s.

Cruse was one of the very first professors of African-American studies. He also became one of the first people to earn tenure (a permanent teaching position) at a university without having a college degree.

A main idea in The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual is that thinkers and writers must play a very important role in movements that want to bring big changes to society. This idea also appeared in Cruse's other works, such as Rebellion or Revolution (a collection of essays) and Plural But Equal.

Later Life and Legacy

Harold Cruse passed away on March 26, 2005. He died from congestive heart failure while living in an assisted-living facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was 89 years old. He was survived by his partner of 36 years, Mara Julius.