Professor Manning Marable, historian and political activist, dead at 60

After surviving a double lung transplant last summer, Dr. Manning Marable died April 1 in New York City from pneumonia.

He was a Professor of History and Political Science; Director, Institute for Research in African American Studies; and Professor, Department of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. (Photos from Columbia University website)

In the early 1980's, Dr. Marable was a featured editorial writer for Reality World Magazine, a quarterly magazine published by Kurk and Tomi Johnson in memory of Evelyn Price Johnson of Lawrenceburg, Ky.

Below is a scanned copy of his remarks, "What is Time," from the first edition of Reality World Magazine published in Spring 1981 when Marable was a professor at Cornell University and a leader in the National Black Independent Political Party.

Although Marable supported Barack Obama in his run for president in 2008, in the 1981 editorial, Marable wrote, "Those who cannot create their own political party to pursue that 'dream deferred' WILL NEVER BECOME FREE."

Marable added: "Malcolm X told us that it was time for us to end our reliance upon the politics of the 'lesser of two evils.' " Before his death, Marable had just completed a book on Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) which is due to publish today.

Ironically, April 4 is also the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the day President Barack Obama launched his reelection campaign.

Marable is survived by his wife, Leith Mullings, and several children. Our condolences go out to his family, the African-American community which has lost a great voice, and his colleagues at Columbia.

©2011 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.