Dr. Charles Henry Thompson The Journal of Negro Education was established by Howard University faculty member Dr. Charles Henry Thompson in 1944. Thompson was born in Jackson, Mississippi on July 18, 1896. He received his high school education and began his undergraduate education at
Virginia Union University, one of the few schools enrolling African-Americans at the time. He finished his collegiate studies at the
University of Chicago and earned a bachelor's degree in psychology. He returned to Virginia Union University to obtain his Doctorate of Literature. Dr. Thompson worked returned to his Alma mater Virginia Union University as a psychology instructor from 1920 to 1921 . He then became the Director of instruction at the Alabama Normal School, now known as
Alabama State University, in Montgomery, Alabama. After leaving Montgomery he became a professor at Summer High School and Junior College in Kansas City, Kansas.
The Voice of the Negro, first published in 1904, created a space for educated Black Americans from the south to have a voice post slavery. The content focused on social questions surrounding the place of Black Americans in America post-slavery. The
Journal of Negro Education and
The Voice of the Negro share a few contributors such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, two prominent leaders of the Black American community at the time.
Crisis magazine was first published in 1910 as the official periodical for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's (NAACP). The magazine was established by W.E.B. Du Bois to serve as a space for Black American writers and artists, and was dedicated to the educational advancement of Black Americans. The magazine highlighted Black American success and discussed topics of the Black American experience in America.
The Journal of Negro History (now the
The Journal of African-American History) was published in 1916 by the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and under the leadership of Carter G. Woodson. The journal's articles sometimes focused on education but primarily emphasized the history of Black Americans.
Howard University in 1932 The president of Howard University at the time was Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, who supporters referred to as the "Messiah". He declared his main goal as president as "a calling, a challenge, and a duty" to advance higher education among Black students in America. He wanted Howard to become a model university and back the first issues of
the Journal of Negro Education by securing an office space and encouraging faculty and students to engage in social forums. The University grew as a major university due to significant funding from
President Herbert Hoover. Howard University became a primary location for Black scholars to share their ideas. Several members of the faculty across all departments were involved in major events involving Black Americans at the time. The university wanted to use federal funding to their advancement to grow Black intellectualism across the new generation of young Black scholars.
Founding and original purpose When
the Journal of Negro Education was originally founded they only had enough funding to pay for printing and postage. The founder Charles H. Thompson defined the three purposes as the collection of facts about the education of Black Americans, the discussion of proposals and practices in relation to Black Americans, and to investigate problems blocking the education of Black Americans. The journal would become the first publication to discuss these topics. == Notable contributors ==