Julius (Bernard) Lester (1939-)

Educator, historian, folklorist, writer, and performer. Professional musician and singer, c. 1960s, recording with Vanguard Records; Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI, director, 1966-68; WBAI-FM, New York, NY, producer and host of live radio show, 1968-75; WNET-TV, New York, NY, host of live television program Free Time, 1971-73; University of Massachusetts-Amherst, professor of Afro-American studies, 1971-88, professor of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, 1982-2003, acting director and associate director of Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities, 1982-84, adjunct professor in English and history departments, 1988-2003, professor emeritus, beginning 2004. Lecturer, New School for Social Research (now New School University), 1968-70; writer-in-residence, Vanderbilt University, 1985.