Black Judas

by John David Smith

"William Hannibal Thomas (1843-1935), an Ohio mulatto who served with distinction in the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War, was a self-professed - and nationally known - critic of his own race. Black Judas tells the story of Thomas's transformation from a critical but optimistic black nationalist to a cynical black Negrophobe as the twentieth century dawned. This radical change erupted in Thomas's 1901 publication of The American Negro, a blatantly insulting attack on African Americans that located "the Negro problem" in the black community and grossly characterized the entire race as inherently inferior. In his writings and actions, Thomas distanced himself from his race, recommending that blacks model themselves after "notable" mulattoes - persons like himself. In doing so Thomas projected on African Americans his own complicated emotional and physical problems. Outraged, his critics called him "Black Judas" and orchestrated a campaign that transformed Thomas into one of the m