Cheryl Wall

Cheryl A. Wall
Born
Cheryl Ann Wall

(1948-10-29)October 29, 1948
Manhattan, New York, US
DiedApril 4, 2020(2020-04-04) (aged 71)
Highland Park, New Jersey
Education
Occupation(s)Literary critic, academic

Cheryl A. Wall (October 29, 1948 – April 4, 2020)[1] was a literary critic and professor of English at Rutgers University. One of the first black women to head an English department at a major research university, she worked for diversity in the literary canon as well as in the classroom.[2] She specialized in black women's writing, particularly the Harlem Renaissance and Zora Neale Hurston.[3] She edited several volumes of Hurston's writings for the Library of America. She was also a section editor for The Norton Anthology of African American Literature and was on the editorial boards of American Literature, African American Review and Signs. An award-winning researcher and teacher, she was named the Board of Governors Zora Neale Hurston Professor in 2007.[4]

Wall had a lifelong commitment to African-American arts and culture and was the founding board chair of the Crossroads Theater Company, the first Black Theater in New Jersey, founded by two Rutgers graduates, Ricardo Khan and Lee Richardson in 1978.[5]

  1. ^ Lally, Robin (April 6, 2020), "Remembering Cheryl A. Wall, a Champion of Black Women Writers", Rutgers Today, Rutgers University.
  2. ^ Associated Press (April 22, 2020), "Literary scholar Cheryl A. Wall dies at age 71", The Washington Post.
  3. ^ Allmond, Emily M. (2019). "Acknowledging the "Forgotten" Contributions of Black Female Authors: A Review of Women of the Harlem Renaissance". The Corinthian. 19: 1–5. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "Cheryl Wall". Rutgers University. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "In Memoriam: Cheryl Ann Wall, 1948-2020". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. April 10, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2024.