| The primary purpose of this project was to restore an obscure, early twentieth century, historical text written by an African American woman named Drusilla Dunjee Houston. Her book, Wonderful Ethiopians of the Ancient Cushite Empire, was published in 1926. Although somewhat widely read at the time, the book fell into obscurity after a first printing.; The Methodological Approach, designed to facilitate restoration of the text, incorporates a data collection tool to document specific quotes, paraphrases, authors, and book titles provided by the author, to facilitate constructing a bibliography. Included in the methodological approach is a detailed description of the use of online research technology, and other related strategies critical to locating books, journals, and other documents cited by Houston. The bibliography, along with endnotes and an index, elements previously absent in the original text, will assist in creating an intellectual community that will reconsider the value of this text to the African American literary tradition.; A second purpose of the project was to provide an introduction to this little known, though prolific African American woman writer. The introduction describes Houston's early life, her family and her dedication to African history. Houston is also examined as a forgotten but important contributor to the Harlem Renaissance. Houston's difficult relationship with W. E. B. DuBois in trying to publish her historical texts during this period is also described. In addition, the introduction provides insight into Houston's thinking about her work and identifies her as a contributor to the work of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs.; Houston was a prolific writer, and in addition to her historical texts, wrote editorials, poetry, prose, essays, and novels, much of which is lost. However, a testament to her ability to write across many literary genres is the existence of a 1500 line epic poem in elegiac verse, “The Maddened Mob, America's Shame.”; Hopefully, this thesis will spark interest in this important but forgotten African American woman writer. |
