(1886-1954)
The African American scholar and critic was born in Philadelphia and educated at Harvard and Oxford Universities, the latter on a Rhodes scholarship. From 1911, he taught at Howard University and wrote prolifically on African American culture to the extent that he can be credited as a progenitor of the Harlem Renaissance. In a running polemic with W. E. B. DuBois, Locke upheld the value of folk drama as opposed to DuBois's more propagandist approach. As an essayist and editor, Locke supported Georgia Douglas Johnson and other playwrights of her circle. With Montgomery Gregory, he founded the Howard Players.
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.