Richard A. Long posters

Richard A. Long (1927-2013) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Long received his B.A. from Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) in 1947 and his M.A. from the same university in 1948. Long conducted post-graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) and attended the University of Paris (France) on a Fulbright Scholarship from 1957-1958. Long went on to earn his Ph.D. from the University of Poitiers (France) in 1965. He taught English at West Virginia State College (Institute, West Virginia) and Morgan State College (Baltimore, Maryland) before teaching English and French at Hampton Institute (Hampton, Virginia). At Hampton, he also directed the College Museum from 1969-1971. Subsequently, Long taught English and African American Studies at Atlanta University (Atlanta, Georgia) from 1968-1987 and taught at Emory University's Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts (Atlanta, Georgia) from 1987 until his retirement.

Long was actively engaged in international and national academic and artistic communities. He founded the Triennial Symposium on African Art, Atlanta University’s Annual Conference at the Center for African and African American Studies, and the New World Festivals of the African Diaspora. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Smithsonian Museum of African Art (Washington, D.C.), the Board of Directors of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta (Georgia), and the Board of the Society of Dance History Scholars. Long was also an active member of the National Planning Committee of the Zora Neale Hurston Festival. He died in 2013.