Association of Social and Behavioral Scientists
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W. E. B. DuBois Award Recipient - 1982
Margaret Walker-Alexander
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Margaret Walker Alexander is best known for her neo-slave narrative Jubilee and the poem “For My People.” She is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. Encouraged by her parents, Alexander read a lot of poetry and philosophy as a young child.
Alexander earned the Bachelor of Arts Degree from Northwestern University. Upon graduation, she began work with the Federal Writer’s Project along with such writers as Frank Yerby and Gwendolyn Brooks. A few years later, she met and became acquainted with Richard Wright. They worked together on several of his texts—in 1988, she published Richard Wright, Daemonic Genius: A Portrait of the Man, a Critical Look at His Work.
Alexander completed her master’s degree in creative writing at the University of Iowa in 1942, which is when she was also awarded the Yale Award for Young Poets for “For My People.” She then became a professor at Jackson State University. In 1966, Alexander published Jubilee, the life story of a slave daughter. Two years after receiving critical acclaim for Jubilee, she founded the Institute for the Study of the History, Life and Culture of Black People. She worked as the director of the program for 11 years; later, it would be renamed in her honor. Ms. Walker then toured, lectured, and worked on For Farish Street Green, February 27, 1986 (1986) and This is My Century: New and Collected Poems (1989).
Walker is the recipient of numerous awards. Among them are the Rosenwald Fellowship (1944), a Senior Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities (1972), and the White House Award for Distinguished Senior Citizen.