Alain LeRoy Locke was an American writer, philosopher, educator, and patron of the arts. He is best known for his writings on and about the Harlem Renaissance

Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...

. He is regarded as the "Father of the Harlem Renaissance". His philosophy served as a strong motivating force in keeping the energy and passion of the Movement at the forefront.

Background

Alain Locke was born in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 on September 13, 1885 to Pliny Ishmael Locke (1850-1892) and Mary Hawkins Locke (1853–1922). In 1902, he graduated from Central High School

Central High School (Philadelphia)

Central High School is a public secondary school in the Logan section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Central, the second-oldest continuously public high school in the United States , was founded in 1836 and is a four-year university preparatory magnet school...

 in Philadelphia, second in his class. He also attended Philadelphia School of Pedagogy. In 1907, Locke graduated from Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

 with degrees in English and philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

. He was the first African American Rhodes Scholar

Rhodes Scholarship

The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...

. He formed part of the Phi Beta Kappa Society

Phi Beta Kappa Society

The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...

. Locke was denied admission to several Oxford colleges because of his skin color before finally being admitted to Hertford College, where he studied literature, philosophy, Greek, and Latin, from 1907-1910. In 1910, he attended the University of Berlin, where he studied philosophy. Locke attended the Collège de France

Collège de France

The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...

 in Paris in 1911.

Locke received an assistant professorship in English at Howard University

Howard University

Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...

, in Washington, D.C. There he interacted with W. E. B. Du Bois and Carter Woodson, who helped develop his philosophy. While at Howard University he became a member of Phi Beta Sigma

Phi Beta Sigma

Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...

 fraternity.

Locke returned to Harvard in 1916 to work on his doctoral dissertation, The Problem of Classification in the Theory of Value. In his thesis, he discusses the causes of opinions and social biases, and that these are not objectively true or false, and therefore not universal. Locke received his Ph.D.

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

 in philosophy in 1918. Locke returned to Howard University as the chair of the department of philosophy, a position he held until his retirement in 1953.

Locke promoted African American artists, writers, and musicians, encouraging them to look to Africa as an inspiration for their works. He encouraged them to depict African and African American subjects, and to draw on their history for subject material. Locke edited the March 1925 issue of the periodical Survey Graphic

Survey Graphic

The Survey Graphic was a United States magazine launched in 1921. From 1921 to 1932, it was published as a supplement to The Survey and became a separate publication in 1933. The SG focused on sociological and political research and analysis of national and international issues...

, a special on Harlem and the Harlem Renaissance, which helped educate white readers about the flourishing culture there. Later that year, he expanded the issue into The New Negro

The New Negro

The New Negro: An Interpretation is an anthology of fiction, poetry, and essays on African and African American art and literature edited by Alain Locke, who lived in Washington, DC and taught at Howard University during the Harlem Renaissance...

, a collection of writings by African Americans, which would become one of his best known works. His philosophy of the New Negro was grounded in the concept of race-building. Its most important component is overall awareness of the potential black equality; No longer would blacks allow themselves to adjust themselves or comply with unreasonable white requests. This idea was based on self-confidence and political awareness. Although in the past the laws regarding equality had been ignored without consequence, Locke's philosophical idea of The New Negro

The New Negro

The New Negro: An Interpretation is an anthology of fiction, poetry, and essays on African and African American art and literature edited by Alain Locke, who lived in Washington, DC and taught at Howard University during the Harlem Renaissance...

 allowed for real fair treatment. Because this was just an idea and not an actual bylaw, its power was held in the people. If they wanted this idea to flourish, they were the ones who would need to "enforce" it through their. actions and overall points of view. Locke has been said to have greatly influenced and encouraged Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance...

.

Religious beliefs

Locke was a member of the Bahá'í Faith

Bahá'í Faith

The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....

 and declared his belief in Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...

 in 1918. It was common to write to `Abdu'l-Bahá

`Abdu'l-Bahá

‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...

 to declare one's new faith, and Locke received a letter, or "tablet", from `Abdu'l-Bahá in return. When `Abdu'l-Bahá died in 1921, Locke enjoyed a close relationship with Shoghi Effendi

Shoghi Effendi

Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...

, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith. Although we do not know how much of his philosophy was influenced by the Bahá'í Faith, one can certainly see many similarities and themes that they share. Shoghi Effendi is reported to have said to Locke, "People as you, Mr. Gregory

Louis George Gregory

Louis George Gregory was a prominent member of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1951 he was posthumously appointed a Hand of the Cause, the highest appointed position in the Bahá'í Faith, by Shoghi Effendi.-Early years:He was born on June 6, 1874 to African-American parents liberated during the Civil War...

, Dr. Esslemont

John Esslemont

John Ebenezer Esslemont M.B., Ch.B. , was a prominent British Bahá'í from Scotland. He was the author of the well-known introductory book on the Bahá'í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, which is still in circulation. He was named posthumously by Shoghi Effendi as the first Hand of the Cause he...

 and some other dear souls are as rare as diamond."

Legacy

Schools named after Alain Locke

• Alain L. Locke Elementary School PS 208 in South Harlem
• The Locke High School
  Locke High School
  Alain Leroy Locke High School is a Title 1 co-educational charter high school located in Los Angeles, California, United States, and is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District/Green Dot Public Schools. It is named after Alain LeRoy Locke....
  
   in Los Angeles.
• The Alain Locke Public School is an elementary school in West Philadelphia
  West Philadelphia
  West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
  
  .
• Alain Locke Charter Academy in Chicago.
• Alain Locke Elementary School in Gary, Indiana
• Locke Hall at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante

Molefi Kete Asante

Molefi Kete Asante is an African-American scholar, historian, and philosopher. He is a leading figure in the fields of African American studies, African Studies and Communication Studies...

 listed Alain LeRoy Locke on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans

100 Greatest African Americans

100 Greatest African Americans is a biographical dictionary of the one hundred historically greatest African Americans , as assessed by Molefi Kete Asante in 2002.-Criteria:...

.

Major works

In addition to the books listed below, Locke edited the "Bronze Booklet" series, a set of eight volumes published by Associates in Negro Folk Education in the 1930s. He also reviewed literature written by African Americans in journals such as Opportunity and Phylon. His works, inter alia, include:

• The New Negro: An Interpretation
  The New Negro
  The New Negro: An Interpretation is an anthology of fiction, poetry, and essays on African and African American art and literature edited by Alain Locke, who lived in Washington, DC and taught at Howard University during the Harlem Renaissance...
  
  . New York: Albert and Charles Boni, 1925.
• “Harlem: Mecca of the New Negro.” Survey Graphic 6.6 (1 March 1925). http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/harlem/contents.html.
• When Peoples Meet: A Study of Race and Culture Contacts. Alain Locke and Bernhard J. Stern, eds. New York: Committee on Workshops, Progressive Education Association, 1942.
• The Philosophy of Alain Locke: Harlem Renaissance and Beyond. Edited by Leonard Harris. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1989.
• Race Contacts and Interracial Relations: Lectures of the Theory and Practice of Race. Washington, D.C.: Howard University Press, 1916. Reprinted & edited by Jeffery C. Stewart. Washington: Howard University Press, 1992.
• Negro Art Past and Present. Washington: Associates in Negro Folk Education, 1936. (Bronze Booklet No. 3).
• The Negro and His Music. Washington: Associates in Negro Folk Education, 1936. (Bronze Booklet No. 2).
• “The Negro in the Three Americas.” Journal of Negro Education 14 (Winter 1944): 7–18.
• “Negro Spirituals.” Freedom: A Concert in Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States (1940). Compact disc. New York: Bridge, 2002. Audio (1:14).
• “Spirituals” (1940). The Critical Temper of Alain Locke: A Selection of His Essays on Art and Culture. Edited by Jeffrey C. Stewart. New York and London: Garland, 1983. Pp. 123–26.
• The New Negro: An Interpretation. New York: Arno Press, 1925.
• Four Negro Poets. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1927.
• Plays of Negro Life: a Source-Book of Native American Drama. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1927.
• A Decade of Negro Self-Expression. Charlottesville, Virginia, 1928.
• The Negro in America. Chicago: American Library Association, 1933.
• Negro Art - Past and Present. Washington, D.C.: Associates in Negro Folk Education, 1936.
• The Negro and His Music. Washington, D.C.: Associates in Negro Folk Education, 1936; also New York: Kennikat Press, 1936.
• The Negro in Art: A Pictorial Record of the Negro Artist and of the Negro Theme in Art. Washington, D.C.: Associates in Negro Folk Education, 1940; also New York: Hacker Art Books, 1940.
• A Collection of Congo Art. Arts 2 (February 1927): 60–70.
• Harlem: Dark Weather-vane. Survey Graphic 25 (August 1936): 457–462, 493-495.
• The Negro and the American Stage. Theatre Arts Monthly 10 (February 1926): 112–120.
• The Negro in Art. Christian Education 13 (November 1931): 210–220.
• Negro Speaks for Himself. The Survey 52 (April 15, 1924): 71–72.
• The Negro's Contribution to American Art and Literature The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 140 (November 1928): 234–247.
• The Negro's Contribution to American Culture. Journal of Negro Education 8 (July 1939): 521–529.
• A Note on African Art. Opportunity 2 (May 1924): 134–138.
• Our Little Renaissance. Ebony and Topaz, edited by Charles S. Johnson. New York: National Urban League, 1927.
• Steps Towards the Negro Theatre. Crisis 25 (December 1922): 66–68.
• The Problem of Classification in the Theory of Value: or an Outline of a Genetic System of Values. Ph.D. dissertation: Harvard, 1917.
• “Locke, Alain.” [Autobiographical sketch.] Twentieth Century Authors. Ed. Stanley Kunitz and Howard Haycroft. New York: 1942. P. 837.
• “The Negro Group.” Group Relations and Group Antagonisms. Edited by Robert M. MacIver. New York: Institute for Religious Studies, 1943
• World View on Race and Democracy: A Study Guide in Human Group Relations. Chicago: American Library Association, 1943.
• Le rôle du Negro dans la culture des Amerique. Port-au-Prince: Haiti Imprimerie de l’état, 1943.
• “Values and Imperatives.” American Philosophy, Today and Tomorrow. Ed. Sidney Hook and Horace M. Kallen. New York: Lee Furman, 1935. Pp. 312–33. Reprints: Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Press, 1968; Harris, The Philosophy of Alain Locke, 31–50.
• “Pluralism and Ideological Peace.” Freedom and Experience: Essays Presented to Horace M. Kallen. Edited by Milton R. Konvitz and Sidney Hook. Ithaca: New School for Research and Cornell University Press, 1947. Pp. 63–69.
• “Cultural Relativism and Ideological Peace.” Approaches to World Peace. Edited by Lyman Bryson, Louis Finfelstein, and R. M. MacIver. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1944. Pp. 609–618. Reprint in The Philosophy of Alain Locke, 67–78.
• “Pluralism and Intellectual Democracy.” Conference on Science, Philosophy and Religion, Second Symposium. New York: Conference on Science, Philosophy and Religion, 1942. Pp. 196–212. Reprinted in The Philosophy of Alain Locke, 51–66.
• “The Unfinished Business of Democracy.” Survey Graphic 31 (November 1942): 455–61.
• “Democracy Faces a World Order.” Harvard Educational Review 12.2 (March 1942): 121–28.
• “The Moral Imperatives for World Order.” Summary of Proceedings, Institute of International Relations, Mills College, Oakland, CA, June 18–28, 1944, 19–20. Reprinted in The Philosophy of Alain Locke, 143, 151–152.
• “Major Prophet of Democracy.” Review of Race and Democratic Society by Franz Boas. Journal of Negro Education 15.2 (Spring 1946): 191–92.
• “Ballad for Democracy.” Opportunity: Journal of Negro Life 18:8 (Aug. 1940): 228–29.
• “Three Corollaries of Cultural Relativism.” Proceedings of the Second Conference on the Scientific and the Democratic Faith. New York, 1941.
• “Reason and Race.” Phylon 8:1 (1947): 17–27. Reprinted in Jeffrey C. Stewart, ed. The Critical Temper of Alain Locke: A Selection of His Essays on Art and Culture. New York and London: Garland, 1983. Pp. 319–27.
• “Values That Matter.” Review of The Realms of Value, by Ralph Barton Perry. Key Reporter 19.3 (1954): 4.
• “Is There a Basis for Spiritual Unity in the World Today?” Town Meeting: Bulletin of America’s Town Meeting on the Air 8.5 (1 June 1942): 3–12.
• “Unity through Diversity: A Bahá’í Principle.” The Bahá’í World: A Biennial International Record, Vol. IV, 1930–1932. Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1989 [1933]. Reprinted in Locke 1989, 133–138. Note: Leonard Harris’ reference (Locke 1989, 133 n.) should be emended to read, Volume IV, 1930–1932 (not “V, 1932–1934”).
• “Lessons in World Crisis.” The Bahá’í World: A Biennial International Record, Volume IX, 1940–1944. Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1945. Reprint, Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1980 [1945].
• “The Orientation of Hope.” The Bahá’í World: A Biennial International Record, Volume V, 1932–1934. Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1936. Reprint in Locke 1989, 129–132. Note: Leonard Harris’ reference (Locke 1989, 129 n.) should be emended to read, “Volume V, 1932–1934” (not “Volume IV, 1930–1932”).
• “A Bahá’í Inter-Racial Conference.” The Bahá’í Magazine (Star of the West) 18.10 (January 1928): 315–16.
• “Educator and Publicist,” Star of the West 22.8 (November 1931) 254–55. [Obituary of George William Cook [Baha'i], 1855–1931].
• “Impressions of Haifa.” [Appreciation of Baha'i leader, Shoghi Effendi, whom Locke met during his first of two Baha'i pilgrimages to Haifa, Palestine (now Israel)]. Star of the West 15.1 (1924): 13–14; Alaine [sic] Locke, “Impressions of Haifa,” in Bahá’í Year Book, Volume One, April 1925–April 1926, comp. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada (New York: Bahá’í Publishing Committee, 1926) 81, 83; Alaine [sic] Locke, “Impressions of Haifa,” in The Bahá’í World: A Biennial International Record, Volume II, April 1926–April 1928, comp. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada (New York: Bahá’í Publishing Committee, 1928; reprint, Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1980) 125, 127; Alain Locke, “Impressions of Haifa,” in The Bahá’í World: A Biennial International Record, Volume III, April 1928–April 1930, comp. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada (New York: Bahá’í Publishing Committee, 1930; reprint, Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1980) 280, 282.
• “Minorities and the Social Mind.” Progressive Education 12 (March 1935): 141–50.
• “The High Cost of Prejudice.” Forum 78 (Dec. 1927).
• “The Negro Poets of the United States.” Anthology of Magazine Verse 1926 and Yearbook of American Poetry. Sesquicentennial edition. Ed. William S. Braithwaite. Boston: B.J. Brimmer, 1926. Pp. 143–151. The Critical Temper of Alain Locke: A Selection of His Essays on Art and Culture. Edited by Jeffrey C. Stewart. New York and London: Garland, 1983. Pp. 43–45.
• Plays of Negro Life: A Source-Book of Native American Drama. Alain Locke and Montgomery Davis, eds. New York and Evanston: Harper and Row, 1927. “Decorations and Illustrations by Aaron Douglas.”
• “Impressions of Luxor.” The Howard Alumnus 2.4 (May 1924): 74–78.

Posthumous Works

Alain Locke's previously unpublished, posthumous works include:

Locke, Alain. "The Moon Maiden" and "Alain Locke in His Own Words: Three Essays." World Order 36.3 (2005): 37–48. Edited, introduced and annotated by Christopher Buck and Betty J. Fisher. http://christopherbuck.com/Buck_PDFs/Buck_Alain_Locke_2005.pdf. Four previously unpublished works by Alain Locke:

• "The Moon Maiden" (37) [a love poem for a white woman who left him];
• "The Gospel for the Twentieth Century" (39–42);
• "Peace between Black and White in the United States" (42–45);
• "Five Phases of Democracy" (45–48).

Locke, Alain. "Alain Locke: Four Talks Redefining Democracy, Education, and World Citizenship." Edited, introduced and annotated by Christopher Buck and Betty J. Fisher. World Order 38.3 (2006/2007): 21–41. http://christopherbuck.com/Buck_PDFs/Buck-Fisher_Locke_2008.pdf Four previously unpublished speeches/essays by Alain Locke:

• "The Preservation of the Democratic Ideal" (1938 or 1939);
• "Stretching Our Social Mind" (1944);
• "On Becoming World Citizens" (1946);
• "Creative Democracy" (1946 or 1947).'

Further reading

• Akam, Everett. Just One African American on the Current Rhodes Scholarship List. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education 30:1 (2000): 58-59.
• Buck, Christopher. Alain Locke: Faith and Philosophy. Los Angeles: Kalimat Press, 2005. http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0313359598
• Buck, Christopher. Alain Locke: Race Leader, Social Philosopher, Bahá’í Pluralist. World Order 36.3 (2005): 7–36. http://christopherbuck.com/Buck_PDFs/Buck_Alain_Locke_2005.pdf.
• Buck, Christopher. Alain Locke in His Own Words: Three Essays. World Order 36.3 (2005): 37–48. http://christopherbuck.com/Buck_PDFs/Buck_Alain_Locke_2005.pdf. Three previously unpublished essays/speeches by Alain Locke:
  • "The Gospel for the Twentieth Century" (39–42);
  • "Peace between Black and White in the United States" (42–45);
  • "Five Phases of Democracy" (45–48).
• Buck, Christopher. Alain Locke. American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies. Supplement XIV. Edited by Jay Parini. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Scribner's Reference/The Gale Group, 2004. 195–219. http://christopherbuck.com/Buck_PDFs/Buck_Alain_Locke_2004.pdf.
• Buck, Christopher and Betty J. Fisher. "Alain Locke: Four Talks Redefining Democracy, Education, and World Citizenship. Edited and introduced by Christopher Buck and Betty J. Fisher. World Order 38.3 (2006/2007): 21–41. http://christopherbuck.com/Buck_PDFs/Buck-Fisher_Locke_2008.pdf Four previously unpublished speeches/essays by Alain Locke:
  • "The Preservation of the Democratic Ideal" (1938 or 1939);
  • "Stretching Our Social Mind" (1944);
  • "On Becoming World Citizens" (1946);
  • "Creative Democracy" (1946 or 1947).
• Buck, Christopher. "Rare Film Clip of Alain Locke in Washington, D.C. (1937)." http://christopherbuck.com/Buck_Film_Clips/Locke_DC_1937.mp4
• Buck, Christopher. "Rare Film Clip of Alain Locke at Howard University (1937)." http://christopherbuck.com/Buck_Film_Clips/Locke_Howard_1937.mp4
• Buck, Christopher. "Rare Film Clip of Alain Locke at Harmon Art Exhibit (1933)." http://christopherbuck.com/Buck_Film_Clips/Locke_Gallery_1933.mp4
• Buck, Christopher. "Alain Locke: ‘Race Amity’ and the Bahá’í Faith." Alain Locke Centenary Program. Association of American Rhodes Scholars. Howard University, Washington DC (24 September 2007). http://christopherbuck.com/Buck_PDFs/Buck_Locke_Centenary.pdf
• Butcher, Margaret J. The Negro in American Culture: Based on Materials Left by Alain Locke Knopf, 1956.
• Cain, Rudolph A. Alain Leroy Locke: Crusader and Advocate for the Education of African American Adults. The Journal of Negro Education 64:1 (1995): 87-99.
• Crane, Clare Bloodgood. Alain Locke and the Negro Renaissance. (Thesis) University of California, San Diego, 1971.
• Du Bois, W. E. B. The Younger Literary Movement. Crisis 28 (February 1924), pp. 161–163.
• Eze, Chielozona. The Dilemma of Ethnic Identity: Alain Locke's Vision of Transcultural Societies. Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press
  Edwin Mellen Press
  The Edwin Mellen Press, based in Lewiston, New York is a niche publisher of scholarly material and advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. They publish a variety of tomes including monographs, bibliographies, concordances, dictionaries, conference proceedings, dissertations, and...
  
  , 2005.
• Harris, L. and Charles Molesworth. Alain Locke :Biography of a Philosopher. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
  University of Chicago Press
  The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of...
  
  , 2008.
• Harris, Leonard, ed. The Philosophy of Alain Locke: Harlem Renaissance and Beyond. Philadelphia: Temple University Press
  Temple University Press
  Temple University Press is a university press publishing house that is part of Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.The press was founded in 1969....
  
  , 1989.
• Harris, Leonard, ed. The Critical Pragmatism of Alain Locke: A Reader on Value Theory, Aesthetics, Community, Culture, Race, and Education. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 1999.
• Holmes, Eugene C. Alain Leroy Locke: A Sketch. The Phylon Quarterly 20:1 (1994): 82-89.
• Linnemann, Russell J., ed. Alain Locke: Reflections on a Modern Renaissance Man. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1982.
• Stewart, Jeffrey C., ed. The Critical Temper of Alain Locke. Garland, 1983.
• Stewart, Jeffrey C. Alain Leroy Locke at Oxford: The First African-American Rhodes Scholar. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education 31:1 (2001): 112-117.
• Washington, Johnny. Alain Locke and Philosophy: A Quest for Cultural Pluralism. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1986.
• Washington, Johnny. A Journey into the Philosophy of Alain Locke. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1994.
• Africa Within
• The Negro and His Music: Negro Art: Past and Present. New York: Arno Press, 1969.
• Black Is Brilliant, by Ross Posnock, The New Republic April 15, 2009