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Biography · Civil Rights & Community

Max Yergan

1892–1975

United States

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Biography

Max Yergan (July 19, 1892 – April 11, 1975) was an American activist notable for being a Baptist missionary for the YMCA, then a Communist working with Paul Robeson, and finally a staunch anti-Communist who complimented the government of apartheid-era South Africa and colonial dominion over Africa, particularly in the case of Portuguese Angola. He was a mentor of Govan Mbeki, who later achieved distinction in the African National Congress. He served as the second president of the National Negro Congress, a coalition of hundreds of African-American organizations created in 1935 by religious, labor, civic and fraternal leaders to fight racial discrimination, establish relations with black organizations throughout the world, and oppose the deportation of black immigrants.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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