"Father of the Harlem Renaissance," Alain Locke promoted African American artists, writers, and musicians, encouraging them to depict African and African American subjects, and to draw on their history for subject material.  A Harvard Phi Beta Kappa graduate and the first black Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, Locke had his greatest impact upon African American art while at Howard University (1917-1953).  There Locke served as chair of the philosophy department and conveyed to his students the value of the fine arts. He started a drama group, the Howard Players, and a literary magazine, the Stylus. Locke's influence gained national attention in 1925 when he edited the now-classic The New Negro, an anthology of African American writings. Throughout his life, Locke grappled with the issue of how African Americans could achieve full social integration without sacrificing their own cultural legacy. At the time of his death, he was preparing a major work, The Negro in American Culture.

Dr. Robert Berson, Leader of the Ethical Society of Northern Westchester, will discuss Locke and his contributions he made to our society.