Richard Durham (September 6, 1917 – April 27, 1984) was an African-American writer and radio producer.
Early life
He was born in Raymond, Hinds County, Mississippi and moved with his family to Chicago in 1921. He attended Hyde Park High School and Northwestern University.
Career
In 1940, with support from the Illinois Writer's Project (part of the Federal Writers' Project), Durham wrote two short radio dramas entitled The Story of Winslow Homer and The Story of Auguste Rodin. An essay, "The philosophical basis of Sterling McMurrin", was also published.
Durham wrote for New Masses, the Chicago Defender, the Chicago Star and the Illinois Standard newspapers. At the same time he joined the Communist Party, USA.
His first radio series was DemocracyUSA, which aired in 1946 on Chicago's WBBM. The next year he started dramatic Black soap opera radio series, Here Comes Tomorrow.
Destination Freedom
Following his early radio writings, Durham wrote and produced the radio drama Destination Freedom. In cooperation with The Chicago Defender, he began this series over NBC Chicago outlet WMAQ in July 1948, with scripts emphasizing the progress of African-Americans from the days of slavery to the ongoing struggle for racial justice.
Post-Destination Freedom
After Destination Freedom Durham was the national program director of the United Packinghouse Workers of America. He resigned in 1958.
Muhammed Speaks editing
In the 1960s Durham was the editor of Muhammad Speaks, a Nation of Islam newspaper in Chicago.
Bird of the Iron Feather soap opera
While an editor of Muhammed Speaks Durham created a soap opera for Chicago's WTTW television station. Bird of the Iron Feather was the first all-Black television soap opera, and ran for 21 episodes, three times a week starting in January 1970. The show's title came from a speech by Frederick Douglass given in 1847.
Other media
He had a supporting role in the 1972 film Sounder. He also co-wrote The Greatest: My Own Story, the 1975 autobiography of Muhammad Ali. The book was adapted into a 1977 movie of the same name. In 1980 Ali and Durham wrote the article "Why I Must Fight" for Umoja Sasa.
Durham also wrote for the Illinois Writers Project, Here Comes Tomorrow (WJJD/Chicago) and Ebony Magazine. His own short book of poetry, Night Windowpanes, was published in 1975.
Political activity
During Harold Washington's 1982 mayoral election Durham worked to improve Washington's political speeches.
Personal life
From at least the late 1940s until his death, Durham was married to fellow Northwestern alumnus and prominent Chicago educator Clarice Davis (1919–2018), with whom he had one child, a son. Durham himself died on April 27, 1984, of a heart attack while on a trip to New York City.
See also
Carlton Moss – a 1930–40's Black radio dramatist
Roi Ottley – journalist and writer who wrote the radio series New World A'Coming, broadcast by WMCA in New York City in 1944
References
Books cited, with reviews
Williams, Sonja D. (2015). Word Warrior: Richard Durham, Radio, and Freedom University of Illinois Press, ,
Further reading
Richard Durham Papers 1939–1999, Richard Durham's Destination Freedom : scripts from radio's Black legacy, 1948–50 (with J. Fred MacDonald),
External links
Richard Durham (1917–1984) at BlackPast.org, (McBride, Colin. March 28, 2014) Destination Freedom programs Destination Freedom Black Radio Days Podcast, from Apple Podcasts Destination Freedom Black Radio Days, from KGNU News – Boulder Community Broadcast Association
"History, Memory, and the Power of Black Radio", by Ashleigh Lawrence-Sanders, March 16, 2018 – African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS) Mapping the Stacks – Guide to the Richard Durham Papers, 1939–1999 – Chicago Public Library Richard Durham – Radio Hall of Fame Richard Durham Papers – Chicago Public Library archives Richard Durham – KeyWiki Richard Durham Destination Freedom – Goodreads Word Warrior: Richard Durham, Radio & Freedom – video presentation from the Library of Congress featuring author Sonja D. Williams ‘Word Warrior’ Traces Uncommon Life of Chicago Writer Richard Durham, Nick Blumberg, October 12, 2017, WTTW