death_date death_place birth_place image_size birth_date image article_title name occupation
6 november 1963 chicago , illinois richmond , virginia 200px 17 january 1899 abramharris.jpg abram lincoln harris
 abram lincoln harris , jr. . economist , academic , anthropologist
abram lincoln harris

abram lincoln harris , jr. -lrb- january 17 , 1899 -- november 6 , 1963 -rrb- was an american economist , academic , anthropologist and a social critic of blacks in the united states .
considered by many as the first african american to achieve prominence in the field of economics , harris was also known for his heavy influence on black radical and neo-conservative thought in the united states .
as an economist , harris is most famous for his 1931 collaboration with political scientist sterling spero to produce a study on african american labor history titled `` the black worker '' and his 1936 work `` the negro as capitalist '' , in which he criticized black businessmen for not promoting interracial trade .
he headed the economics department at howard university from 1936 to 1945 and taught at the university of chicago from then until his death .
as a social critic , harris took an active radical stance on racial relations by examining historical black involvement in the workplace , and suggested that african americans needed to take more action in race relations .
