Martin Robison Delany
Martin Robison Delany was an American abolitionist, journalist, physician, military officer and writer who was arguably the first proponent of black nationalism. Delany is credited with the Pan-African slogan of "Africa for Africans." Born as a free person of color in Charles Town, Virginia, now West Virginia, and raised in Chambersburg and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Delany trained as a physician's assistant. During the cholera epidemics of 1833 and 1854 in Pittsburgh, Delany treated patients, even though many doctors and residents fled the city out of fear of contamination. In this period, people did not know how the disease was transmitted.
The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States
Citizens by birth, one group finds their freedoms denied, sparking a call to action and a difficult question: should they stay or should they go?
By Martin Robison Delany
Official Report of the Niger Valley Exploring Party
In the 19th century, a determined explorer ventured into Africa, chronicling a quest for self-determination and new economic opportunities for black communities.
By Martin Robison Delany