George Schuyler: Writer, Social Critic, Iconoclast
George Samuel Schuyler (1895-1977) was an essayist, novelist, and journalist for The Pittsburgh Courier , known for his unapologetic conservative and assimilationist views concerning race relations. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Schuyler grew up in Syracuse, New York. The author ascended from a long line of free blacks, some of whom, he claimed, had participated in the Revolutionary War. This heritage appears to have contributed to a sense of pride and confidence Schuyler possessed and articulated throughout his literary career. Schuyler's conservative leanings and active participation in the anti-Communism campaigns of the McCarthy era provoked controversy among African Americans who sometimes considered Schuyler not just an iconoclast, but a "traitor" (1220). Yet, Schuyler is heralded to this day for his literary contributions to the developing racial politics of the 20th century. Schuyler's novel, Black No More cast a satirical, yet critical eye on the pre...