In Search of Helen Maria Chesnutt (1880-1969), Black Latinist

Authors

Michele Valerie Ronnick, Wayne State UniversityFollow

DOI

https://doi.org/10.52284/NECJ/48.1/article/ronnick

Publication Date

5-14-2021

Abstract

Classical scholars have begun to delineate the dynamic pattern of black classicism. This new subfield of the classical tradition involves the analysis of the creative response to classical antiquity by artists as well as the history of the professional training in classics of scholars, teachers and students in high schools, colleges and universities. To the first group belongs Helen Maria Chesnutt (1880-1969). Born in Fayetteville, NC, Chesnutt was the second daughter of acclaimed African American novelist, Charles W. Chesnutt (1858-1932). She earned her B.A. from Smith College in 1902 and her M.A. in Latin from Columbia University in 1925. She was a member of the American Philological Association and the Classical Association of the Middle West and South. Her life was spent teaching Latin at Central High School in Cleveland, OH. This is the first full scale account of her career.

First Page

110

Last Page

121

Recommended Citation

Ronnick, Michele Valerie (2021) "In Search of Helen Maria Chesnutt (1880-1969), Black Latinist," New England Classical Journal: Vol. 48 : Iss. 1 , 110-121.

https://doi.org/10.52284/NECJ/48.1/article/ronnick

Keywords

African-American intellectuals, Latin language, female classicists, black philologists, high school pedagogy, classical education