Edward Blyden

Profile

Full Name: Edward Blyden
August 3, 1832 – February 7, 1912
Notable: Politician
Nationality: St. Thomas

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Show Notes

In 1850, Edward Blyden journeyed to Liberia and accepted an offer to teach at Alexander High School after being rejected from Rutgers’ Theological College in New Jersey and a few others because of his race. He went on to become a school principal, college professor, and the editor of the country’s only newspaper.

Considered the “father of Pan-Africanism”, Edward Blyden served as a Liberian ambassador to a few European nations as well as touring America. Blyden argued against the concept of Black inferiority that was gaining popularity in Europe and North America. During his travels, he promoted the idea of Black people from across the diaspora returning to Africa to escape racism, reconnect with their African identity, and assist in the development of the continent. Within Liberia, he pushed for equal political representation for both lower class and elite Black and mulatto people.

Bibliography

• “Blyden, Edward Wilmot.”. “Blyden, Edward Wilmot.” Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History, Encyclopedia.com, 2019, www.encyclopedia.com/history/historians-and-chronicles/historians-miscellaneous-biographies/edward-wilmot-blyden. Blyden, Ruth.
• “Edward Wilmot Blyden (1832-1912) • BlackPast.” BlackPast, 1 Feb. 2019, www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/edward-wilmot-blyden-1832-1912/.
• “Blyden, Edward Wilmot (1832-1912).” Blyden, Edward Wilmot (1832-1912) | History of Missiology, www.bu.edu/missiology/missionary-biography/a-c/blyden-edward-wilmot-1832-1912/.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Wilmot_Blyden_(c._1900).jpg)

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