Fostering the next generation of Black philosophers at Penn In the past decade, the department has become a hub for race theory and a welcoming environment for a diverse group of young academics, mentored by those who have paved the way before them. Left: Near the end of his life, William Fontaine wrote the book, “Reflections on Segregation, Desegregation, Power, and Morals,” about racial integration and his opposition to the ideology of the Black Power movement. Right: “Black Philosopher, White Academy,” by Penn emeritus History professor Bruce Kuklick, details Fontaine’s personal history and scholarship.
Philosopher William Fontaine earned tenure in the late 1950s. At that time, he became the first African American to formally do so at the University of Pennsylvania, breaking into a field of American academia typically reserved for white men. It was a first for the Ivy League.