Wynter, Leon 1953–

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Wynter, Leon 1953–

(Leon E. Wynter)

PERSONAL:

Born August 30, 1953 in New York, NY; son of Rupert and Sylvia Wynter; married (divorced). Ethnicity: "African American." Education: Yale University, B.A., 1974; New York University, M.B.A., 1979; attended New York University, 1979-80.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New Rochelle, NY. Office—c/o Wall Street Journal, 200 Liberty St., New York, NY 10281.

CAREER:

Journalist and writer. Manufacturers Hanover Trust Corporation, New York, NY, lending officer in corporate banking, 1974-79; Washington Post, Washington, DC, staff writer, 1980-84; Wall Street Journal, New York, NY, staff reporter, 1984—; Baruch College, City University of New York, associate professor of English and journalism, 1994—; commentator, National Public Radio.

MEMBER:

New York Association of Black Journalists (member, 1989 Convention Committee).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Outstanding Communicator, National Black MBA Association, 1992.

WRITINGS:

American Skin: Pop Culture, Big Business, and the End of White America, Crown Publishers (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Charles Rangel) And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since: The Memoir of Charles B. Rangel's Journey from the Streets of Harlem to the Halls of Congress, Scribner (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including Washington Post, New York Times, and New York Newsday. Author of the Web log The American Race.

SIDELIGHTS:

Journalist and radio commentator Leon Wynter created and wrote the "Business and Race" column for the Wall Street Journal for over a decade and is a regular contributor to National Public Radio. His essays on business, race, and American culture have also appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, and New York Newsday.

In his book American Skin: Pop Culture, Big Business, and the End of White America, Wynter writes that American culture is in the process of changing from its roots in a largely white, European sensibility to a "transracial" culture deeply informed by African American influences. Wynter examines the imprint of African American musical forms on jazz and ragtime; the increase in corporate marketing to nonwhite markets; and the effect of urban hip-hop culture on fashion. According to Wynter, this cultural melding has drawbacks as well as advantages: among the drawbacks is the potential loss or dilution of African American identity and culture. One of the advantages of this change is that it allows African Americans much greater access to the commercial marketplace. For example, while nineteenth-century musical pioneer Scott Joplin struggled for acceptance and financial reward, many African American stars in sports, fashion, music, film, and other venues now have enormous commercial appeal and the bank accounts that result from it, as well as great cultural influence on both white and African American audiences. The traditional idea of America as a "melting pot" is true, Wynter writes in the book's introduction; now it is "bubbling again, but on a higher flame; this time whiteness itself is finally being dissolved into a larger American identity." And, he writes, "my arguments and insights ultimately rest on one premise and guiding belief about this country: We have always been, and will ever be, of one race—human—and of one culture—American."

In Publishers Weekly, a reviewer wrote that Wynter makes "an indisputable if sometimes obvious case for non-white influence on American culture." A Booklist contributor praised the book's "cutting insights." Another reviewer, writing in Kirkus Reviews, noted that Wynter assembles an impressive collection of data and anecdotes in support of his ideas. "Trendspotters," the reviewer wrote, "will find Wynter's study fascinating."

For his next book, Wynter serves as coauthor with U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel for And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since: The Memoir of Charles B. Rangel's Journey from the Streets of Harlem to the Halls of Congress. Called "a great read at this time of political transition" by Booklist contributor Vernon Ford, the memoir, which was published in 2006, follows the outspoken congressman's life through his service in the Korean War, where he won a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, on through Rangel's time in law school and his long political career. The memoir looks closely at Rangel's work in the 1960s civil rights movement and his three-plus decades in the U.S. Congress, beginning with his first election to the Congress in 1970. During that time, he served on the House Judiciary Committee during the hearings on the articles of impeachment of President Richard M. Nixon, helped found the Congressional Black Caucus, and was one of the leaders of the fight in Congress to pressure U.S. corporations to divest from apartheid South Africa. Throughout it all, Rangel has earned a reputation as a tough liberal and independent thinker who is also a collegial legislator respected by both Republicans and Democrats. The memoir also reflects on Rangel's personal life. The title comes from Rangel's facing a deadly attack during his service in Korea.

Referring to the memoir as "entertaining," Jill Ortner wrote in the Library Journal that the memoir provides "a true insider's view of the triumphs and turmoil of … [of Rangel's career] in politics." A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that "stories from Rangel's early life … offer some of the most engaging passages."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Wynter, Leon, American Skin: PopCulture, Big Business, and the End of White America, Crown Publishers (New York, NY), 2002.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2002, review of American Skin: Pop Culture, Big Business, and the End of White America, p. 1560; April 1, 2007, Vernon Ford, review of And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since: The Memoir of Charles B. Rangel's Journey from the Streets of Harlem to the Halls of Congress, p. 10.

Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2002, review of American Skin, p. 400.

Library Journal, April 15, 2007, Jill Ortner, review of And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since, p. 104.

Publishers Weekly, April 15, 2002, review of American Skin, p. 48; January 29, 2007, review of And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since, p. 52.