By Muriel Tillinghast, the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture

 

On Saturday, September 24, 2022, Dr. Jeffrey B. Perry expired. He was a victim of cancer.

While giving that illness a good fight, he succumbed unexpectedly to other medical problems which had arisen simultaneously. He is survived by his wife and daughter.

Dr. Perry, a working-class, independent scholar, was highly-trained in major institutions in this country and did independent research in various places outside of the United States. His presentations on the following autodidact writer-scholars, Hubert Harrison, one of the foremost intellectuals in radical political thought and a forerunner of a clear and unapologetic analysis of Blacks in American life, and Theodore W. Allen, who pioneered on and wrote, “The Invention of the White Race” were constantly riveting. Both Harrison and Allen, men from different times and backgrounds, while commanding a broad level of information, independently centered their analyses on the perpetuation and centrality of white-skin privilege (WSP/wsp) and its deleterious effects not only Black people but on the American society in general.

This video was published on YouTube in 2014.

Their arguments should bellwether where we are now, for example, in the public debate regarding “Critical Race Theory.” From the language and behaviors in use, we haven’t moved very far in seventy years. WSP twinned with the machinery of capitalism continues to distort and undermine even the most progressive objectives in American life. The application of this, of course, goes beyond our borders.

Much more can be said about both Harrison and Allen as they both opened up avenues for vigorous intellectual discussion. I will leave you to delve into their works on your own. There is a plethora of material left by Jeff for us to read as your time allows on the internet and in books.

Always and forever the working-class scholar, Dr. Jeffrey Perry leaves us with not only his works but with his life-scholar role model. He was a fine person to know and a benefit to this country’s intellectually progressive communities. He touched many here and abroad.

Note: The G-Man Interviews showcased Dr. Perry and his work in the episodes below, and he was the first to appear when the series was launched in 2013.

From The G-Man and The G-Man Interviews salute Dr. Perry’s legacy and offer condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. May they all find some measure of comfort in the days to come, and may he forever rest in peace.