[2][7][8][9] His most famous character in his mysteries was African American detective Joe Hill, who Allison said was "equipped to think with his skin".
[5] Allison wrote the 1937 Broadway play "The Trial of Dr. Beck," which was originally produced by the Federal Theatre.
[14] The New York Daily News called it a "well-written, well-acted drama" and said "when the Federal Theatre Project can present an evening's entertainment of this type for 55 cents, the Broadway producers better look to their box offices".
[7][2] In the 1950s, he wrote a series of articles on school segregation for the Newark Evening News, which inspired court cases by the federal government.
[17] The home of Allison and his wife, at 15 Wallace St in Newark, was threatened in the 1970s by urban renewal, when the entire neighborhood was slated for demolition.