Ollie Harrington

Oliver Wendell Harrington (February 14, 1912 – November 2, 1995) was an American cartoonist and an outspoken advocate against racism and for civil rights in the United States.

[2] He began cartooning to vent his frustrations about a viciously racist sixth-grade teacher[3] and graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx in 1929.

After World War II, Oliver Harrington was employed by the NAACP in order to assist with a public relations campaign to help returning Black veterans.

After the war, White hired Harrington to develop the organization's public relations department, where he became a visible and outspoken advocate for civil rights.

Given the publicity garnered by his sensational critique, Harrington was invited to debate with U.S. Attorney General Tom C. Clark on the topic of "The Struggle for Justice as a World Force.

In Paris, Harrington joined a thriving community of African-American expatriate writers and artists, including James Baldwin, Chester Himes, and Richard Wright, who became a close friend.

Harrington adds of his time as a resident in East Berlin, “There were great temptations to leave there, but I liked the work.” He regularly cartooned for publications such as People’s Daily World, Eulenspiegel, and Das Magazin, through which he critiqued U.S. imperialism and racial repression.