THE JEFFERSON SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

Educate and inform

the whole mass of the people

575 Sixth Avenue, New York 11, N. Y.

WAtkins 9-1062

Dr. Howard Selsam, Director

February 2, 1944

Mr. Langston Hughes
c/o Harper
634 St. Nicholas Avenue
New York City

My dear Mr. Hughes,

As you perhaps know already, the new Jefferson School is opening its doors to the public in mid-February, on the week celebrating Negro History.

In conjunction with the latter, the Library of the School will be the setting for an appropriate exhibit touching the role of the Negro in this nation's wars. To deepen the meaning of the display, we felt it would be stimulating and important to have an informal program in the Library itself - devoted to a mixture of talk, poems, bits of story or drama - suited to the occasion.

Thinking in terms of a person who could focus this theme led to this request of you. We've set the date for Friday evening, February the 18th, and hope that you will be able to join us.

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Educate and inform

the whole mass of the people

WAtkins 9-1062

Dr. Howard Selsam, Director

February 9, 1944

Mr. Langston Hughes
634 St. Nicholas Avenue
New York, 30, N.Y.

Dear Mr. Hughes,

Thank you for the copy of "Freedom's Plow" which came with this morning's mail.

It was disappointing to hear that you could not join us on February 18th. The School is starting auspiciously, and we are all filled with activity and expectations for interesting developments of all sorts.

We hope you have a successful tour, and that when you come back, you'll be able to arrange to share an evening with us.

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5

The Jefferson School
of Social Science

"Educate and inform

the whole mass of the people"

Louis Lerman, Executive Secretary

WAtkins 9-1602

Dr. Howard Selsam, Director

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Professor Lyman R. Bradley

Frederick V. Field

A. A. Heller

Charles W. Lightbody

Lewis Merrill

Professor Walter Rautenstrauch

Professor Margaret Schlauch

Professor Dirk J. Struik

Alexander Trachtenberg

Dr. Max Yergan

August 23, 1944

Dear Mr. Hughes:

I am writing on behalf of the Teachers Union, of which I
am a member.

In view of the recent disturbing increases in anti-Negro
and anti-Semitic sentiment among schoolchildren of all ages, the
anti-discrimination committee of the Union is undertaking this fall
to bring the problem before the profession and the general public
in every way possible.

One of the ways projected is a one-act play contest on
the theme, with the Union assuming the responsibility for finding
the proper mode of production for the winning script.

Your long and close identification with the democratic and anti-fascist cause gives us the hope to believe that you will be willing to act as one of our judges in this contest. A careful preliminary screening of the scripts submitted, made by our committee, should reduce the task of the judges to a very great degree; but we are certain that your participation will stimulate great interest, and thus achieve what we are principally concerned with, the awakening of the greatest number to the dangers of discrimination.

May we hear from you soon on this, so that our first announcement
may coincide with the opening of the School term in early September?

291

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Professor Lyman R. Bradley

Frederick V. Field

A. A. Heller

Charles W. Lightbody

Lewis Merrill

Professor Margaret Schlauch

Professor Dirk J. Struik

Alexander Trachtenberg

Dr. Max Yergan

"Educate and inform

the whole mass of the people"

WAtkins 9-1602

Dr. Howard Selsam, Director

August 29, 1944

Dear Mr. Hughes :

This is a triple-barrelled effort.

First, many thanks for the copy of " Freedom's Plow ".
This will make at least the half-dozenth ( but by far the most
cherished ) copy I've owned. The others have left me as the
result of various occasions when I've read the poem to audiences
ranging anywhere from 20 to 200 people. Invariably, someone -
or more likely a half dozen people - will come up at the end
and want to know where they can get it. Invariably, propag-
andist that I am, I can't think of their missing the chance
to get it and use it, and fork over my own. Last time, in fact,
was just two weeks ago at a Sunday night right here.... This one
though I hold on to. In fact, I think I'll avoid losing it by
getting another for public use, altogether....

Second, on the symposium that I spoke to ypu about on
the phone last week. We've decided to postpone it till October
15th; among other reasons, in the hope that you will be able
to take part then. Dr. DuBois will also be in New York then;
and we're hoping for a line-up that will include yourself, DuBois,
Doxey, and Fast, with Francis Franklin as Chairman. Could yuu
join us in that evening's round table? It promises with such
a group to be something we'll allbe proud of.

Third, on the Teachers Union project I wrote about last
week. The Committee's been plaguing me to get the judges' names
lined up for school opening right after Labor Day. Could you
serve ? I'm sure the promise I made about how little it will
actually take still holds. My own guarantee's attached now.

All of which makes a big order; but I'm hoping you'll
take it in your stride. In the meantime, thanks again for the
ppm.

291

THE JEFFERSON SCHOOL of Social Science

575 SIXTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 11, N. Y. • WATKINS 9-1602

DR. HOWARD SELSAM, Director
LOUIS LERMAN, Exec. Secretary

BOARD OF
TRUSTEES

Prof. Lyman R. Bradley
Prof. Dorothy Brewster
Frederick V. Field
A. A. Heller
Charles W. Lightbody
Lewis Merrill
Prof. Walter Rautenstrauch
Harry Sacher
Prof. Margaret Schlauch
Prof. Dirk J. Struik
Alexander Trachtenberg
Dr. Max Yergan
Ruth Young

October 27, 1944

Dear Mr. Hughes :

We are now preparing a new course for the Winter term
which opens on January 8th.

Under the title, " Literature and Democracy ", we shall
try, through a series of lectures, to being the field of liter-
ature, as a weapon and as a discipline, to the attention of that
great body of our students, to whom it is still quite foreign,
or who have never approached it in this systematic way.

The course will be divided into three parts, of which the
third deals with the American tradition. Second in that series
will be a session on " Folklore and Folk Poetry ", the general
aim of which will be to show the native expressions of democratic
sentiment, in forms that are not generally known or recognized as
such.

We should very much like to have you take that session.
It will take place on Wednesday, March 14, from 8:50 to 10:20
P.M. The students should number from 35 to 50, or more.

Could you let us know in time for us to reach the printers
by early next week?

412

7

WATKINS 9-1602

BOARD OF
TRUSTEES

Prof. Lyman R. Bradley

Prof. Dorothy Brewster

Frederick V. Field

A. A. Heller

Lewis Merrill

Prof. Walter Rautenstrauch

Harry Sacher

Prof. Margaret Schlauch

Prof. Dirk J. Struik

Alexander Trachtenberg

Doxey Wilkerson

Dr. Max Yergan

Ruth Young

September 19, 1945

Mr. Langston Hughes
% Harper
634 St. Nicholas Avenue
New York, N.Y.

Dear Mr. Highes:

The Jefferson Bookshop, in conjunction with the School, is holding a two-day Bookfair on November 17 and 18, the general purpose of which will be to review the outstanding current published materials.

One of the Saturday evening panels, on November 17, will be devoted to "Poetry Today". We should very much like to have you with Norman Rosten and William Rose Benet in a round-table on that theme.

Each speaker will have at most ten to fifteen minutes, and perhaps time at the end for questions.

Would you let us know whether you can be with us?

HC:RM
scmwa

264

575 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK 11, N. Y. • WATKINS 9-1600

DR. HOWARD SELSAM, Director

DAVID GOLDWAY, Executive Secretary

March 18, 1955

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Two or three weeks ago I sent you some documentary material on the case of the Jefferson School before the Subversive Activities Control Board, together with a covering letter explaining some of the issues involved and requesting your moral support.

The response to date has been most heartening. Besides the major portion of those who had previously signed in behalf of the right of such a school as ours to exist, we have received additional letters or signatures to our statement from such distinguished educators as Professors Edith Abbott, Paul F. Brissenden, Anton J. Carlson, Paul Weiss, John Wild and others.

I regret that I have not heard from you as yet. The very volume of material may have been an obstacle -- easier to set aside temporarily than to study through -- yet the issue is so urgent and vital that I trust you will read this material if you have not yet done so.

Inasmuch as our final argument before the SACB has been postponed until April 8 there is still ample time for your reply. A statement of your own on the Constitutional or academic freedom questions involved, as you see them, would, of course, be most valuable, but your signature alone will add significant weight to the present list of Americans who place academic freedom and civil rights above the false patriotism of a McCarran and a McCarthy.

In case you have mislaid the previous covering letter I am enclosing an additional copy.

May I please hear from you on this threatened denial of the right to teach a body of ideas through legislative fiat and administrative procedure?

HS:CB
tu-555

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