James A. Dombrowski
Encyclopedia
James Anderson Dombrowski (January 17, 1897 - May 2, 1983) was a southern white Methodist minister and intellectual who was active in the African American
civil rights
movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He lived in New Orleans from 1946 until his death but was involved in public affairs across the country.
, to William Dombrowski and the former Isabella Skinner. He attended public schools in Tampa and Newark, New Jersey
. He obtained a bachelor's degree
from Methodist-affiliated Emory University
in Atlanta, Georgia
, in 1923. Dombrowski also attended Union Theological Seminary
and Columbia University
, both in New York City
. He received his Ph.D.
from Columbia in 1933. Dombrowski studied under Reinhold Niebuhr
and the liberal
Methodist clergyman Harry F. Ward
.
Dombrowski enlisted in the United States Army Air Force during World War I
, and served from October 1917 to March 1919 as an airplane mechanic
near Paris. He obtained the rank of sergeant.
He was the first secretary of the Emory University Alumni Association and the founding editor of Emory Alumnus. In 1926, he became the assistant pastor
of a Methodist church in Berkeley, California
. He married the former Ellen Krida of New York, the daughter of Arthur Krida and the former Johanna Kunkel. There were no children.
and educator Don West
of the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle
in Grundy County in southeastern Tennessee
. He was an administrator at Highlander from 1933-1942. This institution took an early lead in the civil rights movement, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
, and Rosa Parks
obtained instruction there during the 1950s. So did various southern leaders in organized labor. Highlander was a particular bête noire to segregationists
, who claimed that it was a communist-oriented organization. In 1957, a photograph was taken of an audience at the school, which showed King sitting on the front row next to Abner Berry, the correspondent for the communist newspaper
, the Daily Worker
. King's enemies posted the photograph on billboards across the South in an attempt to discredit the civil rights movement.
Dombrowski also founded the Conference of Younger Churchmen of the South, established in 1934. He was executive director of both the Southern Conference for Human Welfare from 1942–1946 and the Southern Conference Educational Fund from 1946-1966. He edited the liberal journal Southern Patriot from 1942-1966. He was the founder of the Southern Organizing Committee for Economic and Social Justice from 1975 until his death.
Dombrowski was the primary defendant in a landmark civil liberties
case decided in 1965 by the United States Supreme Court. In Dombrowski v. Pfister
, the court struck down a Louisiana
law that attempted to force members of anti-segregation groups to register as pro-communist subversives. Dombrowski briefly joined the Socialist Party in the 1930s but then became a Democrat
during U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
's New Deal
. He denied charges of being communist, and he had left the Highlander School before segregationists challenged it for loyalty.
Under Dombrowski's leadership, a number of white southerners joined the Southern Conference Educational Fund and labored to end segregation and the disfranchisement of blacks in the South.
Dombrowski wrote The Early Days of Christian Socialism in America (1937). He was also an engraver and artist. Some of his paintings were donated to the University of New Orleans
.
He died in New Orleans. His body was cremated.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He lived in New Orleans from 1946 until his death but was involved in public affairs across the country.
Early life and education
James Dombrowski was born in Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, to William Dombrowski and the former Isabella Skinner. He attended public schools in Tampa and Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. He obtained a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Methodist-affiliated Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, in 1923. Dombrowski also attended Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, both in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He received his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Columbia in 1933. Dombrowski studied under Reinhold Niebuhr
Reinhold Niebuhr
Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian and commentator on public affairs. Starting as a leftist minister in the 1920s indebted to theological liberalism, he shifted to the new Neo-Orthodox theology in the 1930s, explaining how the sin of pride created evil in the world...
and the liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
Methodist clergyman Harry F. Ward
Harry F. Ward
Harry F. Ward was an American Methodist minister and left-wing activist. He was the first chairman of the ACLU, leading the group from its creation in 1920 until 1940. Ward was a prominent defender of Soviet Communism, although he didn't label himself as a Communist; this ultimately led to his...
.
Dombrowski enlisted in the United States Army Air Force during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and served from October 1917 to March 1919 as an airplane mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
near Paris. He obtained the rank of sergeant.
He was the first secretary of the Emory University Alumni Association and the founding editor of Emory Alumnus. In 1926, he became the assistant pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of a Methodist church in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. He married the former Ellen Krida of New York, the daughter of Arthur Krida and the former Johanna Kunkel. There were no children.
Activist in South
Dombrowski was cofounder with Myles HortonMyles Horton
Myles Horton was an American educator, socialist and cofounder of the Highlander Folk School, famous for its role in the Civil Rights Movement . Horton taught and heavily influenced most of the era's leaders. They included Dr...
and educator Don West
Don West (educator)
Don West was an American writer, poet, educator, trade union organizer, civil-rights activist and a co-founder of the Highlander Folk School.-Early life and career:...
of the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle
Monteagle, Tennessee
Monteagle is a town in Franklin, Grundy, and Marion counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Cumberland Plateau region of the southeastern part of the state...
in Grundy County in southeastern Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. He was an administrator at Highlander from 1933-1942. This institution took an early lead in the civil rights movement, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, and Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
obtained instruction there during the 1950s. So did various southern leaders in organized labor. Highlander was a particular bête noire to segregationists
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
, who claimed that it was a communist-oriented organization. In 1957, a photograph was taken of an audience at the school, which showed King sitting on the front row next to Abner Berry, the correspondent for the communist newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, the Daily Worker
Daily Worker
The Daily Worker was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, some attempts were made to make it appear that the paper reflected a...
. King's enemies posted the photograph on billboards across the South in an attempt to discredit the civil rights movement.
Dombrowski also founded the Conference of Younger Churchmen of the South, established in 1934. He was executive director of both the Southern Conference for Human Welfare from 1942–1946 and the Southern Conference Educational Fund from 1946-1966. He edited the liberal journal Southern Patriot from 1942-1966. He was the founder of the Southern Organizing Committee for Economic and Social Justice from 1975 until his death.
Dombrowski was the primary defendant in a landmark civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
case decided in 1965 by the United States Supreme Court. In Dombrowski v. Pfister
Dombrowski v. Pfister
Dombrowski v. Pfister was a landmark Supreme Court case brought forth by Dr. James Dombrowski along with William Kunstler, founder of the Center for Constitutional Rights, against the governor of Louisiana, law enforcement officers, and the chairperson of the state's Legislative Joint Committee...
, the court struck down a Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
law that attempted to force members of anti-segregation groups to register as pro-communist subversives. Dombrowski briefly joined the Socialist Party in the 1930s but then became a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
during U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
. He denied charges of being communist, and he had left the Highlander School before segregationists challenged it for loyalty.
Under Dombrowski's leadership, a number of white southerners joined the Southern Conference Educational Fund and labored to end segregation and the disfranchisement of blacks in the South.
Dombrowski wrote The Early Days of Christian Socialism in America (1937). He was also an engraver and artist. Some of his paintings were donated to the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
.
He died in New Orleans. His body was cremated.