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Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Authors

Derrick Bell

Added By: Rhondak101
Last Updated: Rhondak101


Derrick Bell

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Full Name: Derrick Albert Bell
Born: November 6, 1930
Died: October 5, 2011
Occupation: Lawyer, Author
Nationality: American
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Biography

Derrick Albert Bell Jr. was an American lawyer, professor, and civil rights activist. In 1971, he became the first tenured African-American professor of law at Harvard Law School, and he is often credited as one of the originators of critical race theory He was a visiting professor at New York University School of Law from 1991 until his death. He was also a dean of the University of Oregon School of Law.

Bell also wrote science fiction short stories, including "The Space Traders", a story in which white Americans trade black Americans to space aliens in order to pay off the national debt and receive advanced technology such as environmental decontaminants and alternatives to fossil fuels. His story demonstrated that whites act to protect their own white self-interest. Bell explained "[It's] better [to] risk the unknown in space than face the certainty of racial discrimination here at home." The story was adapted for television in 1994 by director Reginald Hudlin and writer Trey Ellis. It aired on HBO as the leading segment of a three-part anthology entitled, Cosmic Slop, which focused on Black science fiction.


Works in the WWEnd Database

 Non Series Works

 (1992)