Woodlawn Cemetery lecture to spotlight Rudolph Fisher biography

By AI, Created 12:21 PM UTC, June 02, 2026, /AGP/ – The Woodlawn Cemetery and Conservancy will host historian Kevin McGruder on June 7 in the third installment of its Legacy Lecture Series. McGruder will discuss his forthcoming biography of Harlem Renaissance writer Rudolph Fisher in conversation with historian Eric K. Washington.

Why it matters: - The event puts Rudolph Fisher’s life and work back in focus, highlighting a Harlem Renaissance figure whose literary output was paired with a career in radiology. - The lecture advances Woodlawn Cemetery and Conservancy’s mission to preserve and share the stories of influential people connected to Woodlawn.

What happened: - The Woodlawn Cemetery and Conservancy will present the third installment of its Legacy Lecture Series on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 2:00 PM. - The program will feature historian and author Kevin McGruder, an associate professor of history at Antioch College. - McGruder will appear in conversation with historian Eric K. Washington, author of Boss of the Grips. - The discussion will center on McGruder’s forthcoming biography of Rudolph Fisher, the physician, radiologist, novelist and Harlem Renaissance writer. - The event will take place inside the Woolworth Chapel at The Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

The details: - McGruder described Fisher as a prolific Harlem Renaissance writer who produced two well-received novels and more than a dozen short stories while building a career as a radiologist. - Fisher lived from 1897 to 1934. - Christopher Jeannopoulos, president and CEO of The Woodlawn Cemetery and Conservancy, called Fisher’s story an important part of Harlem’s history and America’s cultural history. - McGruder has worked for decades in community development and cultural preservation in Cleveland, Newark and Harlem. - McGruder previously served as program officer with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and director of real estate development at the Abyssinian Development Corporation. - McGruder also served for five years as executive director of Gay Men of African Descent. - McGruder is the author of Race and Real Estate: Conflict and Cooperation in Harlem, 1890-1920 and Philip Payton: The Father of Black Harlem. - McGruder edited Home at Last: The Collected Writings of AIDS Journalist LeRoy Whitfield. - McGruder holds degrees from Harvard University, Columbia University and the City University of New York. - Woodlawn directs readers to more information. - The release also lists social media pages for LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Between the lines: - The lecture fits a broader pattern of public history programming that connects scholarship, local heritage and cultural memory. - McGruder’s background in both academic history and community development suggests the conversation will link Fisher’s literary legacy to wider questions about Harlem’s social and cultural evolution.

What’s next: - The June 7 lecture will serve as an early public preview of McGruder’s biography of Fisher. - Woodlawn is likely to continue using the Legacy Lecture Series to showcase figures tied to the cemetery and the communities around it.

The bottom line: - Woodlawn is using its Legacy Lecture Series to turn a forthcoming biography into a public conversation about Harlem Renaissance history and preservation.