Dutton Ferguson

Dutton Ferguson
Born	1904 (1904)
Died	1980 (aged 75–76)
Education	Howard University (BA, 1929)
Occupation(s)	Newspaper editor, civil servant, civil rights activist

Dutton Ferguson (1904-1980) ^[1] was an American editor, civil servant and civil rights activist.

Ferguson graduated from Howard University in 1929. ^[2] He was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. ^[3]

Ferguson was a founding member of the New Negro Alliance. ^[4] While picketing against unfair hiring practices, Ferguson was arrested with James Ward on September 26, 1933. ^{[5] [6]} Eventually, the court sided with lawyers who argued that the law against carrying picket signs was unequally enforced in the case of Ferguson and Ward. ^{[7] [5]}

By 1936, he was the editor of the Washington, D.C. Tribune. ^[2] Ferguson was also an editor of Flash! magazine which ran between 1937 and 1939. ^[8]

Starting in 1938, Ferguson served as an assistant to the Information Service of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). ^{[9] [10]} His position at the WPA involved Information Services where he worked as an editor, prepared layouts, and handled research requests. ^[9] His office handled news releases for more than 250 Black newspapers throughout the country. ^[11] Later, he went on to work at the government's Office of Price Administration. ^[12]

Starting in 1942, Ferguson became an editor of Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life. ^[13] In 1947, he became the new editor-in-chief of Opportunity. ^[14]

During the 1950s, Ferguson was involved in community and neighborhood revitalization in Washington, D.C. ^[15] He worked with the Midway Civic Association. ^[16]

References

1. "Lot - (ART.) Locke, Alain; editor. The Negro in Art, signed by many of the featured artists". Swann Auction Galleries. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
2. Harris, Joseph E. (1994). African-American Reactions to War in Ethiopia, 1936-1941. Louisiana State University Press. pp. 45–46. ISBN   9780807118320.
3. "Washington's Society Takes in Omega's All-Night Revel". Washington Afro American. 1938-11-12. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-11-03– via Newspapers.com.
4. Fitzpatrick, Sandra; Goodwin, Maria R. (1990). A Guide to Black Washington: Places and Events of Historical and Cultural Significance in the Nation's Capital. New York: Hippocrene Books. p. 219. ISBN   978-0-87052-832-3 – via Internet Archive.
5. Ware, Gilbert (1984). William Hastie: Grace Under Pressure. Internet Archive. New York : Oxford University Press. pp. 75–76. ISBN   978-0-19-503298-7.
6. "Alliance Says Store Pickets Will Continue". The Afro-American. 1933-10-07. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-11-03– via Newspapers.com.
7. Ware, Gilbert (1986). "The New Negro Alliance: "Don't Buy Where You Can't Work"" . Negro History Bulletin. 49 (3): 6. ISSN   0028-2529 – via JSTOR.
8. "Former Editor of 'Flash' Gets WPA Appointment". The Chicago Defender. 1938-05-28. p. 10. Retrieved 2025-11-04– via Newspapers.com.
9. Anderson, Harry B. (1938-11-12). "Meet Your Neighbor". Washington Afro American. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-11-03– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Dutton Ferguson New Editor of Opportunity". Atlanta Daily World. 1942-10-26. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-11-03– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Information Man". The Phoenix Index. 1940-10-26. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-11-03– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Article clipped from Atlanta Daily World". Dutton Ferguson, of OPA Staff, to Speak Here Sunday. 1944-06-03. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-11-03– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Opportunity Gets Dutton Ferguson". The Phoenix Index. 1942-08-15. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-11-04– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Redesigned Opportunity Mag. Under New Editor, Dutton Ferguson, On the Newsstands". The New York Age. 1947-07-05. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-11-03– via Newspapers.com.
15. "8 Men 2 Women on Afro Honor Roll". The New York Age. 1947-07-05. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-11-03– via Newspapers.com.
16. "Star Trophy Given to Midway Group for Civic Achievements". Evening star. 1954-12-17. p. 18. Retrieved 2025-11-03– via Newspapers.com.