Jay Saunders Redding (1906-1988) papers

Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Saunders Redding graduated from Brown in 1928. After two years of teaching he returned to Brown to earn an A.M. in 1932. A writer and specialist in African-American Literature, Redding spent the majority of his teaching career at the Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia, where he was Professor of English from 1943 to 1966. He subsequently taught at taught Duke, George Washington and Cornell Universities. In 1949, he returned to Brown for a brief stint as a visiting Professor, thus becoming the first African American to teach at an Ivy League school. He later served as Director of the National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Research and Publications from 1966 to 1969.

The Redding papers cover his long career as a writer, academic and administrator, and document his involvement with numerous African American organizations and causes.

Format(s): Pamphlets, Manuscripts, Graphics, Letters, Documents, Scrapbooks
Library: John Hay, Collections Annex
NOTE: This collection is housed off-site. Prior notice is needed for retrieval
Contact(s): (Primary Contact)

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