Lez Edmond

Edmonds was born in Jacksonville, Florida.[1] He was raised a Seventh-day Adventist who initially attended Adelphi University for his BA and MA degree.[3] He later earned his PHD from Union Institute.[3] Edmonds stated in an interview that he was forced into Civil Rights while working for an electronic store.[4] It was here that a German co-worker called him a "god-damn black nigger."[4] When Edmonds reported this to HR, they stated he misheard this.[4]

Edmonds believed that "Democrats and Dixiecrats" are the same thing.[4] He was a proponent of the use of the Schomburg Center in Harlem.[5] He was a proponent of the Freedom Now Party.[4] He was not a major fan of outside Civil Right leaders in his quote from 1964, he stated "to employ outside agitator rhetoric "is to imply that the [local] black community is neither capable nor has the desire to do anything like this".[6] Edmonds was a Civil Rights activist in Harlem.[3] According to the book, Democracy with a Gun: America and the Policy of Force, Lez Edmond was an intellectual and friend of Malcolm X.[7] He urged Malcolm X to stay in the background for a while to avoid danger but his efforts failed.[8] He appeared in the Autobiography of Malcolm X and was an associate of Stokely Carmichael whom he set up interviews with.[7] Malcolm X put up a vote in late February 1965 of whether or not to speak at an upcoming event. Edmonds voted against him speaking at this event but the otherside prevailed.[9] At the vote Malcolm and Edmonds spoke, "He put his arm around me and said, 'Brother, you seem to be very upset.' I said, 'I am.' But I didn't see any fear in his eyes."[9] This event was at the Audubon Ballroom, where Malcolm X was assassinated.[9] Following the death of Malcolm X, Edmonds kept in touch with Betty Shabazz.[10] Edmond was a member and braintrust of the Organization of Afro-American Unity[11] Edmond was a friend of Malcolm X and appeared in the cover of the latter's autobiography.[12]

He was the author of the book African History: An Illustrated Handbook, along with Earl Sweeting.[3] Edmonds covered the Harlem riot of 1964 under the title "Harlem Diary: The Untold Story of the American Nightmare"[13][3] for Ramparts magazine.[14] Edmonds covered the riots in great detail including police shootings.[4] Edmonds had access to many areas and held a United Nations press credential.[7] He appeared in the book "American Journalism, 1963-1973"[15] He also appeared as a subject in Ramparts.[16] Edmonds wrote A Source Book of Karl Marx's Letters About Abraham Lincoln and His Strategic Goal in the Civil War: The Destratification of American Society with Louis Gesualdi in 2014.[17]

The book Do Not Hold Doors by Jeffrey Dessources was written by the influences of Ishmael Reed, Cornel West, Jean Michel Basquiat, Eddie Glaude, Lez Edmond, and John Lowney.[18] He was also an influence in the making of The Souls of Black Girls, produced by Daphne S. Valerius.[19]

Edmonds was a faculty member at St. John's University (New York City),[20] where he served on the Multicultural Advisory Committee and directed the Multicultural and Ethnic Studies program.[21][22] He interacted with basketball players, including Ron Artest,[23] expressing his disappointment when Artest left for the NBA before completing his education.[24] Edmonds was a professor of African American Studies and actively supported Black Solidarity Day,[25] in addition to being an enthusiastic art collector.[26]

Edmond died in April 2017.[3] He has one known daughter, LezAnne Edmond.[27]

Google