approached by the Reverend Elmer Nicholas, a po-
etry enthusiast. The Indiana minister negotiated
with Purnell, who agreed to sell the name, rights,
and list of subscribers for the price of the outstand-
ing magazine debts. Nicholas then began repub-
lishing Palms.
Bibliography
Idella Purnell Stone and Palms MagazinePapers, Harry
Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of
Texas at Austin.
Pan-African Congresses
The international conferences established by W. E.
B. DUBOISin 1919 and designed to provide a
forum in which leaders of African descent and
their supporters could meet to discuss pressing po-
litical and social issues of the day. The first
congress was held in 1919 in Paris, the second two
years later, in 1921 in London, Brussels, and Paris.
The third congress was held in 1923 in London,
Paris, and Lisbon, the fourth in 1927 in New York
City, and the fifth in 1947, originally slated for
Tunis, was relocated to Manchester, England.
Bibliography
Lewis, David Levering. W. E. B. DuBois: The Fight for
Equality and the American Century, 1919–1963.New
York: Henry Holt and Company, 2000.
pan-Africanism
A long-standing philosophy and political ideology
geared toward establishing strong links among
African nations and among peoples of African de-
scent throughout the world. Efforts to combat en-
slavement, colonialism, and disenfranchisement
prompted activists to organize conferences in order
to develop cohesive strategies of resistance and
black empowerment. In addition, pan-Africanists
used the press and their own writings to call atten-
tion to widespread and global injustice and vio-
lence and to publicize the progress and
accomplishments of peoples of African descent.
During the Harlem Renaissance, pan-Africanist
thought and consciousness were highlighted
through works by writers such as LANGSTON
HUGHES,ZORANEALEHURSTON,CLAUDEMCKAY,
IDABELLEYEISER, and others that celebrated the
shared history of Africa. In addition, pan-Africanism
was strengthened through political movements and
organizations such as MARCUSGARVEY’s UNIVER-
SALNEGROIMPROVEMENTASSOCIATIONand the
PAN-AFRICANCONGRESSESorganized by W. E. B.
DUBOIS.Bibliography
Adi, Hakim, and Monica Sherwood. Pan-African History:
Political Figures from Africa and the Diaspora Since
1787.New York: Routledge, 2003.
Lewis, David Levering. W. E. B. DuBois: The Fight for
Equality and the American Century, 1919–1963.New
York: Henry Holt and Company, 2000.
Martin, Guy. Africa in World Politic: A Pan-African Per-
spective.Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press, 2002.Pankhurst, Sylvia(Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst)
(1882–1960)
The white British activist, writer, and artist known
for her tireless work and unflinching self-sacrifice
to secure voting rights for women.
She was born in Manchester, England, to
Richard and Emmeline Pankhurst. Her father, a
lawyer with whom she was very close, died when
she was 16 years old. Pankhurst was a talented
artist and won scholarships to fund her advanced
schooling. She pursued art studies in Venice and at
London’s Royal College of Art. Pankhurst deliv-
ered pro-suffrage speeches throughout the United
States during her travels of 1911 and 1912. She
worked alongside her sister, Christabel, and with
her mother, Emmeline, who founded the Women’s
Social and Political Union in 1903, an organization
that ultimately approved violence as an acceptable
means by which to secure the vote. Her political
work led to numerous imprisonments, and
Pankhurst also staged hunger strikes to draw atten-
tion to her causes.
Differences in opinion about World War I led
to an estrangement from her mother. Pankhurst,
who opposed England’s role in the war, later be-
came involved in the movement to secure
Ethiopian independence from Italy. Pankhurst,
who never married, advocated reproductive free-
dom for all women, not just those who were mar-
ried. Her son, Richard, born when Pankhurst was412 Pan-African Congresses