James Washington (1948-1997) was an ordained Baptist minister, and an Associate Professor of History at Union Theological Seminary, New York. As part of James Melvin Washington’s effort to document and interpret the role of African Americans in the contexts of American culture, Washington amassed an extensive library. The Material from the James Melvin Washington Special Collection, 1965-1997 is one box of papers found among Washington’s 4,000 volume book collection.

James Washington (1948-1997) received his B.A. from the University of Tennessee, Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and his M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Yale University (1979). The title of his dissertation is "The Origins and Emergence of Black Baptist Separatism, 1863-1897." An ordained Baptist minister, he served as Associate Professor of History at Union Theological Seminary, New York. He is the author of "Frustrated fellowship: the Black Baptist quest for social power" (1986), "A testament of hope: the essential writings of Martin Luther King, Jr." (1986), "I have a dream: writings and speeches that changed the world / Martin Luther King, Jr." (1992), "Conversations with God: two centuries of prayers by African Americans" (1994). His colleagues honored him with a Festschrift edited by Quinton Hosford Dixie and Cornell West, "The courage to hope: from black suffering to human redemption: essays in honor of James Melvin Washington" (1999).

1 Box, 0.5 linear feet

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