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The life of Howard Johnson, nicknamed "Stretch" because of his
height (6'5"), epitomizes the cultural and political odyssey of a
generation of African Americans who transformed the United States
from a closed society to a multiracial democracy. Johnson's
long-awaited memoir traces his path from firstborn of a
multiclass/multiethnic" family in New Jersey to dancer in Harlem's
Cotton Club to communist youth leader and, later, professor of
Black studies. A Dancer in the Revolution is a powerful statement
about Black resilience and triumph amid subtle and explicit racism
in the United States. Johnson's engaging, beautifully written
memoir provides a window into everyday life in Harlem-neighborhood
life, arts and culture, and politics-from the 1930s to the 1970s,
when the contemporary Black community was being formed. A Dancer in
the Revolution explores Johnson's twenty-plus years in the
Communist Party and illuminates in compelling detail how the Harlem
branch functioned and flourished in the 1930s and '40s. Johnson
thrived as a charismatic leader, using the connections he built up
as an athlete and dancer to create alliances between communist
organizations and a cross-section of the Black community. In his
memoir, Johnson also exposes the homoerotic tourism that was a
feature of Harlem's nightlife in the 1930s. Some of America's
leading white literary, musical, and artistic figures were
attracted to Harlem not only for the community's artistic
creativity but to engage in illicit sex-gay and straight-with their
Black counterparts. A Dancer in the Revolution is an invaluable
contribution to the literature on Black political thought and
pragmatism. It reveals the unique place that Black dancers and
artists hold in civil rights pursuits and anti-racism campaigns in
the United States and beyond. Moreover, the life of "Stretch"
Johnson illustrates how political activism engenders not only
social change but also personal fulfillment, a realization of
dreams not deferred but rather pursued and achieved. Johnson's
journey bears witness to critical periods and events that shaped
the Black condition and American society in the process.
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