Alexander Crummell

This chapter examines Alexander Crummell’s conceptualization of Africa and the lessons that can be learned from it to help build a new Africa. Crummell has been viewed as an eloquent voice in the Black Nationalist and Pan-Africanist movements. He was considered a Black Nationalist and a Pan-Africanist for his desire to unite all people of African descent. Crummell’s The Future of Africa (1862) is a series of lectures given by the author in Liberia in 1862. Crummell was a complex figure who grappled with his own identity, which one of his protégés W. E. B. Du Bois referred to as a double-consciousness. As an American, who also studied in Europe, living in Liberia, he represented the views of his homeland, America, and of the colonizers; however, because he saw himself as a descendant of the continent, he wanted to represent the views of Africans as well. He referred to Africans as barbaric and believed slavery was a necessary evil for them to achieve Western civilization; however, he had an interest in the continent, so much so that he moved to Liberia. He believed that Black self-help, religion, notably, and education would help people of Africa and of African descent to realize and achieve their self-actualization. Using a qualitative explanatory case study methodology (which emphasizes words, as opposed to numerical values, to answer the questions how and why), the chapter shows, through self-reliance, education, and embracing religion, Africans in the continent and those in the Diaspora can thrive. Moreover, the chapter shows that all races have their own unique identities that should be embraced and celebrated.