Charles Hamilton

Back in late February I missed posting about the announced death of Charles V. Hamilton, a Columbia University professor who died in November 2023. His obituary from the New York Times ran in the Star Tribune, but this Washington Post article is more complete than what I saw (gift link).

I had never heard of Hamilton until I saw the obituary in the Star Tribune, but it's clear he and his work were everywhere at key points. He popularized the phrases Black Power and institutional racism and provided intellectual gravitas to the movement associated with Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael).

I know it's naive, but it always amazes me to find out about a person who played a major role in spreading ideas I've known about for a long time, but I've never heard of him. Where was the short-coming — in me, my education, or in active suppression? I know I'm a bit too young to have read the material he wrote on these subjects as it was coming out, but it surprises me that I never came across his name and bio before now.