’Sippi

novel by Killens

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July 21, 2026

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'Sippi is a novel by John Oliver Killens, published in 1967. The story follows a college student involved in the fight for voting rights in the South, though the narrative is set in New York City. Killens, an activist and writer, was a significant figure in the Black Arts movement and a founder of the Harlem Writers Guild. His works often addressed political and social issues, drawing from his experiences with Jim Crow laws and racism in the U.S. Army. 'Sippi is one of his novels that explores the African American experience and the struggle for civil rights.12

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John Oliver Killens
…at Fisk he also wrote ’Sippi (1967), which tells the story of a college student embroiled in the struggle to achieve the right to vote. Though its characters are from the South, the story takes place in New York City, Killens’s first novel to be set in the North. From…
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…at Fisk he also wrote ’Sippi (1967), which tells the story of a college student embroiled in the struggle to achieve the right to vote. Though its characters are from the South, the story takes place in New York City, Killens’s first novel to be set in the North. From…
Read More