THE GLOBAL AFRICAN COMMUNITY
A F R I C A N H I S T O R I A N R E F E R E N C E G U I D E
3rd EditionDRUSILLA DUNJEE HOUSTON (1876-1941)
Published by the Soul School Institute*
Posted by RUNOKO RASHIDI
It is rare in the field of African historical research and writing, that African women are prominently mentioned. The work of Drusilla Dunjee Houston is not only worth mentioning, but should be highlighted as an early, pioneering historical narrative displaying scholarly depth and superb documentation.
Wonderful Ethiopians of the Ancient Cushite Empire Book 1: Nations of the Cushite Empire, Marvelous Facts from Authentic Records was first published in 1926 in Oklahoma City. Houston intended this to be the first volume of a three volume set that explored Nile civilizations and surveyed the strong influence of Africa on Asian civilizations. She also examined the African background to European civilization. African historians J.A. Rogers and Arthur Alfonso Schomburg highly praised Mrs. Houston's outstanding scholarship.
Drusilla Dunjee Houston was born in Winchester, Virginia in 1876. Her outlook on race was instilled in her by her father, John William Dunjee, a "race man" who counted among his colleagues, Frederick Douglas and Blanche K. Bruce.
At the age of twenty-two, Drusilla wed Price Houston, a store merchant. She founded the McAlester Seminary in McAlester, Oklahoma. This was an educational institution which she ran for twelve years. After settling in Oklahoma City, Drusilla went to work as a journalist for her brother's newspaper, the Black Dispatch. She "aggressively" reported on cases of white atrocities committed against Blacks in Oklahoma.
Her interest in ancient Africa and historical research was triggered by the 1915 publication of The Negro authored by W.E.B. DuBois. Her life-long pursuit of Africa's past and her devotion to her race places Drusilla Dunjee Houston in the foremost ranks of Pan-Africanist historians.
On February 2, 1941, in Phoenix, Arizona, Drusilla Dunjee Houston died from tuberculosis. "At the time of her death, she was working on another book on African history."
*The Soul School Institute
P.O. Box 1872
Baltimore, MD 21203-1872
See Also: DRUSILLA DUNJEE HOUSTON AND THE WONDERFUL ETHIOPIANS OF THE ANCIENT CUSHITE EMPIRE
Posted/Revised: May 02, 2002.
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