Richard Durham facts for kids

Richard Durham (September 6, 1917 – April 27, 1984) was an writer and radio producer in the United States. He was African-American.

Early life

He was born in Raymond, Hinds County, Mississippi and moved with his family to Chicago in 1921. He attended Hyde Park High School and Northwestern University.

Career

In 1940, with support from the Illinois Writer's Project (part of the Federal Writers' Project), Durham wrote two short radio dramas entitled The Story of Winslow Homer and The Story of Auguste Rodin. An essay, "The philosophical basis of Sterling McMurrin", was also published.

Durham wrote for New Masses, the Chicago Defender, the Chicago Star and the Illinois Standard newspapers. At the same time he joined the Communist Party, USA.

His first radio series was Democracy – USA, which aired in 1946 on Chicago's WBBM. The next year he started dramatic Black soap opera radio series, Here Comes Tomorrow.

Destination Freedom

Following his early radio writings, Durham wrote and produced the radio drama Destination Freedom. In cooperation with The Chicago Defender, he began this series over NBC Chicago outlet WMAQ in July 1948, with scripts emphasizing the progress of African-Americans from the days of slavery to the ongoing struggle for racial justice.

Post-Destination Freedom

After Destination Freedom Durham was the national program director of the United Packinghouse Workers of America. He resigned in 1958.

Muhammed Speaks editing

In the 1960's Durham was the editor of Muhammad Speaks, a Nation of Islam newspaper in Chicago.

Bird of the Iron Feather soap opera

While an editor of Muhammed Speaks Durham started up a soap opera on Chicago's NPR radio/WBEZ-FM television station. Bird of an Iron Feather had an all Black cast and ran for 21 episodes three times a week starting in January 1970. Newton Minow was the chairman of the Channel 11 WTTW TV station that put on the show via a grant from the Ford Foundation. The show's title came from a speech by Frederick Douglass given in 1847.

Other media

He had a supporting role in the 1972 film Sounder. He also co-wrote The Greatest: My Own Story, the 1975 autobiography of Muhammad Ali. The book was adapted into a 1977 movie of the same name. In 1980 Ali and Durham wrote the article "Why I Must Fight" for Umoja Sasa.

Durham also wrote for the Illinois Writers Project, Here Comes Tomorrow (WJJD/Chicago) and Ebony Magazine. His own short book of poetry, Night Windowpanes, was published in 1975.

Political activity

During Harold Washington's 1982 mayoral election Durham worked to improve Washington's political speaches.

Personal life

He was married Clarice Davis Durham (1919–2018), a prominent Chicago educator. Durham himself died on April 27, 1984, of a heart attack while on a trip to New York City.

See also

• Carlton Moss – a 1930–40's Black radio dramatist
• Roi Ottley – journalist and writer who wrote the radio series New World A'Coming, broadcast by WMCA in New York City in 1944