Our national history is replete with societal leaders who, due to lack of a formal education, have often been dismissed as not being “intellectual.” Yet, such leaders, who may have rightfully been judged as unlikely to make any serious contribution to mankind, have ascended from the most restricted of personal situations to platforms that made large contributions to our society possible. How? In his talk, titled Radicals and Librarians: Finding Inspiration in Black History,Dr. Allen argued convincingly that a basic thirst for literacy and greedy consumption of knowledge was a critical factor in achieving these amazing transformations.