Wilkerson, Doxey Alphonso, 1905-1993

An African-American educator, Doxey A. Wilkerson, made significant contributions to early childhood education and teacher education for secondary school, especially with regard to minority and disadvantaged students.

Wilkerson was a professor of education at Howard University from 1935-1943 and served as a research associate for the Carnegie Corporation study of the Negro in America, 1939-1940. He served as national vice president of the American Federation of Teachers (1937-1941), using his office as a vehicle to garner support for federal aid for education of black Americans. Wilkerson joined the Communist Party in 1943 and served on its national committee. He resigned in 1957. After leaving Howard University in 1943, Wilkerson became executive editor of the progressive Harlem newspaper, The People's Voice, leaving there in 1948 to serve as the Director of Curriculum with teaching responsibilities at Manhattan's Jefferson School of Social Science, known for its Marxist perspective.

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