Revealing “The Struggle and the Dream”: Sterling A. Brown’s Role in Producing An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy

Abstract

This article investigates the role of poet, critic and vanguard Black intellectual Sterling A. Brown in the production of An American Dilemma (Myrdal et al., 1944), a foundational book that would influence national policy in relation to race for at least 50 years after its publication. Commissioned to deliver an analysis of “the Negro in American culture,” Brown set out to create a work of integrity that would convey the richness of African American cultural traditions and contribute to a balanced appraisal of their overarching experiences. The Carnegie Corporation selected outsider Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal to lead the study to ensure an unbiased analysis of the “Negro problem.” This apparent commitment to impartiality obscures the reality of the impact of race on the book’s construction. These dynamics had a particularly forceful impact on Brown, the only member of Myrdal’s team with a deep understanding of the historical development, aesthetics and politics of the African American cultural tradition.