William Leo Hansberry

William Leo Hansberry was one of the most important scholars in American history. Most people have never heard of him. Before African Studies existed as a university subject, Hansberry built the first academic program in America dedicated to the serious study of ancient African history. He proved that Africa had powerful, advanced civilizations thousands of years before most of the world was willing to acknowledge it.

Hansberry was born on February 25, 1894, in Gloster, Mississippi. His father died when he was just three years old but left behind a personal library on ancient world history. Young William noticed that library had almost nothing about Africa. That absence became his life's mission to correct.

He transferred to Harvard University in 1917 at the urging of W.E.B. Du Bois and discovered that ancient Greek and Roman historians had written extensively about great African kingdoms. Modern scholars were ignoring this evidence entirely. Hansberry spent the next 37 years at Howard University changing that.

Two of his students became presidents of African nations. Kwame Nkrumah led Ghana to independence in 1957. Nnamdi Azikiwe became the first President of Nigeria in 1963. Dr. Chancellor Williams, another of his students, went on to write The Destruction of Black Civilization. His own niece, Lorraine Hansberry, became the first Black woman to have a play produced on Broadway.

He never received a PhD because no university could find professors qualified to evaluate his work. His greatest book was never published in his lifetime. And yet he changed the world.

This biography brings his remarkable story to readers ages 10 to 14. It covers his childhood in Mississippi, his years at Harvard, his groundbreaking work at Howard University, the famous Hansberry family legacy, and his lasting impact on African Studies worldwide. The book includes fun facts, a glossary, critical thinking questions, a timeline activity, and real historical photographs.

Part of the Tafa ibn EL biography series celebrating the unsung giants of African and Moorish history.