Charles V. Hamilton

Charles Vernon Hamilton (October 19, 1929 – November 18, 2023) was an American political scientist, civil rights leader, and the W. S. Sayre Professor of Government and Political Science at Columbia University. He went to Roosevelt University to study political science and graduated in 1951, He joined the Tuskegee Institute faculty in 1958, but his contract there was terminated in 1960,

Ellis Cashmore and James Jennings argue that Hamilton and Carmichael were the first to use the term institutional racism in a systematic fashion.

Activism and Beliefs Hamilton has said he never wanted to be a professor for its own sake, but for the cause of the advancement of black people in society. He wanted to be an "academic activist," rather than a professor who was politically neutral. During his job as a professor, he was involved in activist groups like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which Kwame Ture was also a part of. According to his account, his activist attitudes and behavior are what caused him to be fired from universities including Tuskegee several times. In between his positions as a professor, he would return home to work at the post office to pay his bills. Additionally, he claims to have FBI reports that indicate that his coworkers at Tuskegee had identified him as a communist. However, he has expressed dissatisfaction with Marxism for being class-reductionist and ignoring the issues of race that he has dedicated his life to. Scholars and civil rights leaders have continued to draw on his work, citing his insights as foundational to the study of systemic racism in America.

Death On February 18, 2024, it was announced that Hamilton had died in Chicago on November 18, 2023, at the age of 94. His death was confirmed to the New York Times by his nephew Kevin Lacey and friends Wilmot James and Jeh C. Johnson. Lacey stated that the delay in revealing his death was due to the fact that Hamilton, who lived a modest and private life, was "concerned about what would or would not happen upon his passing."

Works

Stokely Carmichael & Hamilton C. V. (1967), Black Power: The Politics of Liberation, New York: Vintage Hamilton C. V. (1972), The Black Preacher in America, New York: William Morrow Hamilton C. V. (1974), Bench and the Ballot: Southern Federal Judges and Black Voters, Oxford: Oxford University Press Hamilton C. V. (1981), American Government, Glenview: Scott Foresman & Co Hamilton C. V. & Hamilton, D. C. (1992), Adam Clayton Powell Jr.: The Political Biography of an American Dilemma, New York: Simon & Schuster Hamilton C. V. & Hamilton, D. C. (1997), The Dual Agenda, New York: Columbia University Press