Work, Monroe Nathan (1866–1945)

Monroe Nathan Work was one of the first African American sociologists in the history of the United States. His work was derived from his vision of enlightening both African Americans and Whites about African American history and the causes of African American criminal offending. In his research, Work sought to eradicate some of the false assumptions held about African Americans. His extensive research showed that endemic African American criminality was a myth. Work used sociological research to explain that African Americans were not inferior to White Americans as previously perceived. Using knowledge as a means to advance the status of African Americans in America, he campaigned for improving African American health, exposing lynching, and using interracial cooperation to impart knowledge.

Work is best known for compiling comprehensive information about African Americans in his publication of A Bibliography of the Negro in Africa and America (1928). He provided information about the life of African Americans, including their employment, religion, living conditions, marital status, and criminal offending. He suggested that there appeared to be a relationship between the social condition of African Americans, specifically economics, and crime. Work published numerous research articles that used quantitative data to illustrate the criminal offending rates of African Americans. In his research, Work supposed that African American crime was typically the result of African Americans' economic condition. Work noted that criminal offending of African Americans was sanctioned much more harshly than offenses committed by Whites. Specifically, Work noted how the convict-lease system exploited African Americans.

Work lived in an extraordinary period in African American history. He was born only a few years after the Emancipation Proclamation, at the height of racial ignorance, lynching, and segregation. He endured pervasive, overt racism that was ever-present during his lifetime. His research challenged the status quo by informing and educating American society of the prejudice and discrimination endured by African Americans. He was a [Page 909]member of several professional associations and published numerous research articles on the causes and extent of African American crime.