(AURN News) — On Oct. 13, 1928, Lerone Bennett Jr. was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He would go on to become one of the most influential historians, journalists, and truth-tellers of the 20th century.
Bennett spent decades at Ebony magazine, eventually becoming executive editor, where he helped shape the national conversation on Black history and identity. He dedicated his career to correcting the lies told about Black people in American history books.
Bennett is also known for his controversial book “Forced Into Glory,” in which he exposed Abraham Lincoln’s racist beliefs and challenged the myth of Lincoln as the “Great Emancipator.” The book sparked national debate and forced historians to confront uncomfortable truths about Lincoln’s legacy and race in America.
Lerone Bennett Jr. died in 2018 at the age of 89, leaving behind a legacy of courage, scholarship, and unapologetic Black history.
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