William Pickens

William Pickens (January 15, 1881 – April 6, 1954) was an American orator, educator, journalist, and essayist. He wrote multiple articles and speeches, and two autobiographies, The Heir of Slaves (1911) and Bursting Bonds (1923). In the latter book he noted race-motivated attacks on African Americans, both in the urban riots of 1919, which took place across the country, and in lynchings in 1921.

His works called for the liberty and emancipation of African Americans. He devoted much of his life traveling the world as a spokesperson for the freedom of African Americans, and worked to promote the beliefs of scholar W. E. B. Du Bois.

Pickens, the son of freed slaves who became tenant farmers, was born on January 15, 1881, in Anderson County, South Carolina. His family moved when he was young and he was raised mostly in Arkansas. Before this move, he received a basic education. The entire first year in Arkansas, his parents kept him at home to help with field work to pay off their debt.

In the winter of 1890, Pickens and his family moved to Argenta, Arkansas (now known as North Little Rock.) His mother believed this town would have improved education and more opportunities for her children to succeed. Pickens was able to broaden his world, both because of a longer school term of nine months, and meeting more new people in the growing city. Before attending the school in Argenta, Pickens had taught himself to write.

He began his first term at his new school three months late, but soon developed a newfound appreciation for education and studying. Within three months Pickens became the leader of the class, holding the highest rank. He always made a one hundred for his daily average in mathematics.

At the end of his first school year, one of his teachers gave Pickens a gift to mark his punctuality and perfect attendance. It was a novel by Charles Beezly, entitled Our Manners and Social Customs. This was the first book Pickens read for pleasure, as it was not related to his school texts. At the start of Pickens' fourth year at the Argenta school, when he was 13 years old, his mother died. He believed that she died because of physical exploitation, ill treatment, and life-threatening health conditions. Pickens felt confusion and sorrow, but later wrote that he was reassured by God that his mother wanted him to succeed and would want him to continue his work even without her there to support him. He drew from this to build his confidence and faith in his abilities.

When Pickens began high school in Argenta, he soon became first in his class for algebra. Jealous of his success, Pickens's classmates ridiculed and teased him. He did not allow this to dissuade him from studying; their teasing only motivated him to put in more work and make a name for himself.

He studied at multiple schools, mostly in Argenta. He received bachelor's degrees from Talladega College (1902) and Yale University (1904), where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He was awarded the Henry James Ten Eyck Prize for an essay about Haiti.