who he believed did not have the academic appetite to master the various disciplines necessary to advocate for real and effective societal change. Academic life After publishing The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual in 1967, he was invited to lecture at the University of Michigan (1968) and taught in the African-American Studies program at the Center for Afro-American and African Studies there until the mid-1980s. Cruse was one of the first African-American studies professors, becoming one of the first to earn tenure without holding a college degree. A theme of The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual is that intellectuals must play a central role in movements for radical change. This idea re-appeared in Cruse's other works including Rebellion or Revolution, a compilation of essays, and Plural But Equal. Death and legacy On March 26, 2005, Cruse died from congestive heart failure while living in an assisted-living facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was survived by his partner of 36 years, Mara Julius. Works Footnotes Further reading "Harold Cruse and Afrocentric Theory" External links FBI files on Harold Cruse 1916 births 2005 deaths African-American academics African-American writers American writers American communists African-American communists People from Petersburg, Virginia University of Michigan faculty United States Army personnel of World War II