Why do we honor Alain Locke?

Dr. Alain Locke graduated from Central High School in 1902 at the age of 16. The salutatorian of the 107th Class of Central High School,  Alain Locke later attended Oxford University as the first African-American Rhodes Scholar. Along with his study at Oxford, Locke also attended Harvard University, taught at Howard University, and eventually chaired the Philosophy Department at Howard University. A life-long educator and enthusiast of arts and culture, Alain Locke advocated for the development of African-American art, craft, music, and literature using specifically African and African-American themes. 

Locke influenced the careers of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen, and the development of the Harlem Renaissance. Because of his philosophical framework for the Harlem Renaissance, Locke is referred to as the “Dean” of the Harlem Renaissance. Noting Locke’s influence on African-American history,  Martin Luther King Jr. famously quipped in 1968, “We’re going to let our children know that the only philosophers that lived were not Plato and Aristotle, but W.E.B. DuBois and Alain Locke came through the universe.’” 

After his death in 1959, several schools were named after Alain Locke, including Alain Locke Elementary in West Philadelphia. Alain Locke was inducted into the Associated Alumni of Central High School Hall of Fame in 2009. Alain Locke’s life and scholarship represent the goals and vision of Central High School in developing lifelong learners and advocates for the power of culture and literature to shape the society in which we live.

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