2011-K363

Honoring the life and accomplishments of eminent scholar of black history and renowned social critic Dr. Manning Marable

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2011-K363


LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring the life and accomplishments of eminent
scholar of black history and renowned social critic Dr. Manning Marable

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to mourn publicly the
death of outstanding citizens of the State of New York who distinguished
themselves in their profession and in service to their community; and
WHEREAS, It is with great sorrow this Legislative Body records the
passing of Dr. Manning Marable, the M. Moran Weston and Black Alumni
Council Professor of African American Studies at Columbia University, on
April 1, 2011, in Manhattan, at age 60; and
WHEREAS, Born in Dayton, Ohio on May 13, 1950, he earned his Bachelor
of Arts degree from Earlham College in 1971, his Master of Arts degree
from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1972, and his Doctor of
Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in American history from the University of
Maryland in 1976; and
WHEREAS, Before coming to Columbia University in 1993, Dr. Marable was
a Senior Research Associate of Africana Studies at Cornell University
(1980-1982); Professor of History and Economics, and Director of the
Race Relations Institute at Fisk University (1982-1983); Professor of
Sociology and the founding director of Colgate University's Africana and
Latin American Studies Program (1983-1986); Chair of the Black Studies
Department at Ohio State University (1987-1989); and Professor of Ethnic
Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder (1989-1993); and
WHEREAS, At Columbia, Dr. Marable was a Professor of Public Affairs,
Political Science, History and African-American Studies and the founding
Director of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at
Columbia University for ten years, from 1993 to 2003, during which time,
under Dr. Marable's leadership, the Institute became one of the nation's
most prestigious centers of scholarship on black American experience;
and
WHEREAS, A prolific writer, Dr. Marable, since earning his Ph.D. wrote
more than 275 articles in academic journals and wrote and edited nearly
20 books and scholarly anthologies; and
WHEREAS, An impassioned man of well-formed and strong opinions, Dr.
Marable addressed issues of race and economic injustice in numerous
works which established him as one of the most forceful and outspoken
scholars of African-American history and race relations in the United
States including HOW CAPITALISM UNDERDEVELOPED BLACK AMERICA (1983),
RACE, REFORM AND REBELLION: THE SECOND RECONSTRUCTION IN BLACK AMERICA,
1945-1982 (1984), BLACK LIBERATION IN CONSERVATIVE AMERICA (1997), THE
GREAT WELLS OF DEMOCRACY: THE MEANING OF RACE IN AMERICAN LIFE (2003),
as well as two biographies published in 2005, "W.E.B. DUBOIS: BLACK
RADICAL DEMOCRAT and THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MEDGAR EVERS, which he edited
with Myrlie Evers-Williams, Evers' widow, and in a political commentary
series, "Along the Color Line," which, since 1976, was syndicated in
more than 400 newspapers and journals worldwide; and
WHEREAS, It is most fitting and poignant that leading scholar of black
history and critic of American social institutions and race relations
Dr. Manning Marable's latest work, his long-awaited biography of
Malcolm X, MALCOM X: A LIFE OF REINVENTION, more than a decade in the
writing, is scheduled to be published on April 4, 2011, April 4 being
the date on which civil rights icons Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Martin
Luther King, Jr. passed away; and
WHEREAS, Among his many other worthy endeavors, in 2002, Dr. Marable
established the Center for Contemporary Black History (CCBH) at Columbia
University, an advanced research and publications center that examines
black leadership and politics, culture and society; publishes SOULS, a

quarterly academic journal of African-American Studies; conducted a
national survey of Black Studies departments to promote the development
of new courses on race, crime and justice; and taught courses on hip-hop
culture and critical criminology inside Riker's Island Correctional
Facility in New York City; and
WHEREAS, In addition, Dr. Manning Marable served as Chair of the Move-
ment for a Democratic Society (MDS); he was a Member of the Board of
Directors for the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), a non-profit
coalition of public figures working to utilize hip-hop as an agent for
social change; and was an esteemed New York State Assembly Delegate to
the New York Legislature's Amistad Commission, created to review State
curriculum regarding the slave trade; and
WHEREAS, He was regularly featured in national and international media
and donated much of his time to fundraising and to speaking on behalf of
prisoners' rights, labor, civil rights, faith-based institutions, and
other social justice organizations and causes and frequently lectured in
Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York, in a master's degree program for
inmates; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his wife, Leith Mullings, who teaches anthro-
pology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and who
co-edited several of his books, Dr. Marable is survived by his children,
Joshua Manning Marable of Boulder, Colorado; Malaika Marable Serrano of
Silver Spring, Maryland; Sojourner Marable Grimmett of Atlanta, Georgia;
Alia Tyner of Manhattan and Michael Tyner of Brooklyn; three grandchil-
dren and his sister, Madonna Marable of Dayton, Ohio, all of whom are
proud to have been part of his life and will long treasure his memory;
and
WHEREAS, Over his meritorious life, leading scholar of black history
Dr. Manning Marable distinguished himself as a man of values and
commitment and of sincere dedication and substantial contribution to his
profession and his people; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to pay
tribute to the memory of Dr. Manning Marable, to celebrate his life, and
to applaud his many accomplishments that future generations may know and
appreciate his works, his admirable character and the esteem in which he
was held; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Dr. Manning Marable with the deepest condo-
lences of this Legislative Body.

actions

  • 06 / Apr / 2011
    • ADOPTED

Resolution Details

Law Section:
Resolutions, Legislative

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