Rose Wilder Lane, a novelist, journalist, and influential figure in the libertarian movement, was also a columnist for The Pittsburgh Courier, the largest black newspaper in the United States, in the early 1940s. She wrote for the paper from 1942 to 1945, and her columns will be compiled in a book titled Rose Lane Says.
Lane was drawn to the diverse and welcoming atmosphere of the Courier, where she engaged with other columnists like Ted Le Berthon, Kumar Goshal, and S.I. Hayakawa. She found common ground with George S. Schuyler, the lead editorial writer, in their shared anti-Communist views.
Her columns, published from 1942 to 1945, reflected her laissez faire beliefs and opposition to racism. She advocated for individual liberty and criticized the concept of race, comparing it to communism. Lane highlighted the achievements of African Americans despite their difficult history.
While writing for the Courier, Lane confronted her own prejudices and acknowledged her past ignorance of racial injustices. She urged white readers to recognize and overcome the ingrained biases they had been taught.
Lane’s columns, though controversial at times, aimed to promote understanding and challenge societal norms. She believed in the power of individuals to overcome prejudice and build a more inclusive society.
He requires assistance in overcoming these issues. One strategy suggested for African Americans to address the “White problem” was to send copies of the Courier to “less informed whites.”
Lane’s libertarian views on race led her to reinterpret common ideas for her audience, including her perspective on the concept of “white friends of the Negro.” She believed that genuine friendship was individual and not collective, emphasizing the uniqueness and exclusivity of such bonds. She also supported the abolition of the term “Negro,” acknowledging that it represented pride and solidarity for many.
Lane also anticipated tactics similar to the lunch counter sit-ins of the 1960s, advocating for gradual change through individual actions. She highlighted black success stories to illustrate the benefits of entrepreneurship, freedom, and creativity in a free market economy.
Despite her departure from the Courier due to internal politics, Lane continued to express her beliefs freely. Her final column criticized zoning regulations in Danbury, Connecticut, using a local immigrant’s perspective to highlight the impact of such restrictions on personal freedom. Though losing her column was disappointing, Lane’s financial situation was improving thanks to the success of her Little House on the Prairie books. However, Lane’s involvement with the Courier was not yet over. In 1948, she wrote a letter to the editor praising previous letters that called for the discontinuation of using the word “Negro” and other racial references. Lane believed that judging people based on non-existent races conflicted with the American principle of individualism as outlined in the Declaration of Independence. She emphasized that the United States could not achieve its ideals unless individuals eradicated segregation from their minds.
In the last two decades of her life until her death in 1968, Lane dedicated herself to mentoring roles in the emerging libertarian movement. She wrote book reviews for organizations such as the National Economic Council and the Volker Fund, which later led to the establishment of the Institute for Humane Studies. Lane distanced herself from William F. Buckley and his publication, National Review, viewing his conservatism as aristocratic and reactionary.
Lane was more aligned with the libertarian Freedom School, founded in 1956 and led by Robert LeFevre. She even emptied her modest bank account at one point to support the struggling school, later known as Rampart College. Lane found support from economist Hans Sennholz, who later became the president of the Foundation for Economic Education.
Through her advocacy for markets, individualism, and anti-racism, Lane followed in the footsteps of classical liberals who played crucial roles in abolitionism and the civil rights movement. Her columns in the Courier aimed to promote laissez-faire ideas to a black audience, contributing significantly to the discourse on civil rights during that period. Lane’s contributions as a political activist and her collaboration on the Little House books have garnered appreciation in recent years, underscoring the need to recognize her writings on civil rights as well.
This article was originally published under the title “Rose Wilder Lane, Anti-Racist.”
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