Conrad, Earl

This collection of research materials about Harriet Tubman, nurse, spy, scout, and conductor on the Underground Railroad, was assembled by historian-journalist Earl Conrad as supporting documentation for a number of biographical works on this extraordinary daughter of Africa. It was deposited in the New York Public Library's Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature and History by Mr. Conrad after completion of his work.

Bronze tablet in memory of Harriet Tubman unveiled Friday, June 12, 1914, under the auspices of the Auburn Business Men's Association and Cayuga County Historical Society, Auburn, New York.

In Memory of HARRIET TUBMAN Born a Slave in Maryland About 1821 Died in Auburn, New York, March 10th 1913 Called the “Moses” of Her People During the Civil War, With Rare Courage She Led Over Three Hundred Negroes Up From Slavery to Freedom and Rendered Invaluable Service as Nurse and Spy. With Implicit Trust in God She Braved Every Danger and Overcame Every Obstacle Withal She Possessed Extraordinary Foresight and Judgment so That She Truthfully Said -- “On My Underground Railroad I Nebber Run My Train Off De Track and I Nebber Los' a Passenger.” This Tablet is Erected by the Citizens of Auburn, 1914.

Earl Conrad (1912-1986), journalist and author, wrote about African Americans and race relations among other topics. A native of Auburn, New York, Conrad's early work dealt with New York City. Early in his professional career he served as the Harlem bureau chief for the "Chicago Defender."

In 1943, Conrad wrote "Harriet Tubman" (1943), which documents the courageous life of the self-emancipated African American who served as a civil war nurse, spy, and social reformer, and led 300 persons from southern slavery to free northern territories via the Underground Railroad. In 1950, Conrad authored another successful book entitled Scottsboro Boys which depicted the 1931 case involving nine young black men who were accused and convicted of allegedly raping two white women riding on a freight train they all had illegally boarded.

Conrad's later works were criticized for their misrepresentation of African-American culture and community. "The Premier" (1963), a novel about "a black nationalist who dreams of establishing a Central Plains Republic in the western United States," was condemned for its presentation of blacks and the Muslim movement. "The Invention of the Negro" (1966) was written in an attempt to "examine the ways in which white institutions and leadership created the race problem in America." William Lorenz Katz of the Saturday Review stated, "[The Invention of the Negro] frequently breathes with the anger of James Baldwin, but it lacks his logic and clarity." Earl Conrad died in 1986.

Earl Conrad (1912–1986) was an author who specialized in biographies and books about the African American experience and race relations, among other non-fiction books and criticisms. Early in his professional career he served as the Harlem bureau chief for the Chicago Defender.

Conrad published over twenty works. Among them, In 1943, Conrad wrote a biography of Harriet Tubman (1943). In 1950, Conrad authored a book about the Scottsboro Boys, and in 1966 wrote The Invention of the Negro .

Earl Conrad died in 1986.

[Source: New York Public Libraries: http://www.nypl.org/archives/3573]