Columns: "World Backdrop", 1958 July 5-December 27

A prolific writer, Marguerite Cartwright was considered one of the most astute and knowledgeable writers on Africa during the African independence movements of the 1950s and 1960s. Most of Cartwright’s writings date from the mid-to-late 1950s. The papers contain a series of her draft manuscripts about Ghana’s independence celebration, including the Gold Coast elections; and Nigeria’s economic development, independence, investment and the Nigerian Constitutional Conference held in London in 1957 (Lancaster House Conference). On a trip to the Middle East, Cartwright was the only African American among twenty-three clergymen, politicians, organizational heads and journalists as part of a travel fellowship grant and study tour. She was one of only five women on the trip and had meetings with foreign and domestic officials, was a guest of various ambassadors, consular officials, educators and community leaders in Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Cartwright’s writings in both published and draft forms cover educational and childhood development in the United States with her columns, “A Teacher Talks” The Tender Years,” both published in Courier Magazine. These columns cover diversifying curriculum for schools without racial stereotyping, including African-American history and culture as depicted within the schools and by those teaching the topic. Additional topics throughout include school desegregation, Black-Jewish relations, anti-Semitism and sex education. Cartwright’s columns, “World Backdrop” and “Around the UN,” published both in the Pittsburgh Courier and the New York Courier, depict Cartwright’s observations and interpretations of events, and the policies of the United Nations. Other publications in which Cartwright’s columns and articles appeared are New York Amsterdam News, Negro History Bulletin and the Crisis, as well as academic journals such as the Journal of Human Relations and Phylon. Main topics within the writings: United Nations relations; internationalism; education and teaching; childhood growth and development; inter-group relations; race relations; racial stereotypes in the media; sex education in schools; apartheid in South Africa; African independent movements; colonialism in Africa; and Ghana and Nigeria’s independence. Personages represented in Cartwright’s writings include Nnamdi Azikiwe, president of Nigeria (1963-1966); Gamal Abodel Nasser, second president of Egypt (1954-1970); Kwame Nkrumah, first president of Ghana (1960-1966); and Golda Meir, fourth prime minister of Israel (1969-1974). There is a small amount of correspondence within this series of files related to Cartwright’s submissions to the New York Amsterdam News, the Pittsburgh Courier and Courier Magazine. The bulk of the correspondence is from P.L. Prattis, executive editor of the Pittsburgh Courier, regarding Cartwright’s submissions, travels and work as the United Nations correspondent for the publication. The letters often have a personal flavor to them with occasional constructive criticism of Cartwright’s writings. Main correspondents encompass editors and publisher for the Courier Magazine and Pittsburgh Courier: George F. Brown; W. Beverly Carter; G. James Fleming; William G. Nunn: C.B. Powell (Clilan B.); P.L. Prattis; and Robert M. Ratcliffe. Lastly, there are two of Cartwright’s book manuscripts within the collection, as well as a small number of her speeches. The first manuscript is a biography of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, who was a driving force behind Nigerian independence, a statesman, political leader and first president of Nigeria from 1963 to 1966. The second manuscript is titled “Child Growth and Development in the Urban Communities” (1951). Of note is a copy of Cartwright’s speech given at the Zagreb Peace Conference in 1951 (Zagreb, Yugoslavia).