U.S. historian, John Hope Franklin, considered one of the greatest chroniclers of the African-American experience, died yesterday at the age of 94.
Franklin penned nearly 20 books but is most noted for From Slavery to Freedom (1947), an epic account of the experiences African-Americans from their departure from Africa to their on-going struggle for equality at the end of 20th century. The book continues to be used in college and university classes across the United States.
1967 First Edition copy of From Slavery to Freedom
Franklin accomplished a lot in his life - He assisted in the 1954 Brown vs Board of Education case against racial segregation, was the first black president of the American Historical Association as well as the first black department chair at Brooklyn College not to mention being the first African-American professor to hold an endowed chair at Duke University. In 1995, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and in 2006 was announced as the third recipient of the John W. Kluge Prize for lifetime achievement in the study of humanity.
Listen to journalist Bonnie Greer discussing Franklin’s place in history - From BBC World Service
