Happy Black History Month, Roommates! This month, we will be highlighting pioneers of black literary excellence. Once upon a time, Black people weren’t even allowed to receive an education, let alone write books and sell them! That is why we’ve chosen to highlight and pay homage to various wordsmiths, editors and journalists who have paved the way for publications such as The Shade Room to even exist today!
First up is James Mercer Langston Hughes! He was an American poet, novelist and playwright who rose to prominence during the Black Renaissance. During this time, a host of black writers, musicians and entertainers celebrated their culture through their art. Hughes, in particular came up during a time where young people where shaking off traditional expression and embraced new styles of writing and composition.
Growing up in Joplin, MO, Hughes developed a very deep love for African-American culture which he channelled into his writings like his famous poem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers. It was published in The Crisis magazine after Hughes graduated high school and since this magazine was popular amongst Blacks and everyday people, he became popular rather quickly.
Langston Hughes would go on to attend Columbia University where he became a “scene kid” if you will, experiencing Harlem life up close and personal. He wrote about things that he experienced such as lack of opportunity for African Americans. Just as the Harlem Renaissance was burgeoning around him, Hughes also sought to capture the essence of the Harlem nightlife in his poetry. Jazz music became such a huge influence on him and eventually began collaborating with the great Duke Ellington!
Throughout the length of his career, Langston Hughes contributed lyrics for the Broadway play, Street Scene and also contributed to a column called the Chicago Defender. He created the fictional comic book character, Jesse B. Semple, which was just a positive way for him to address racial issues. Hughes also tried his hand at teaching creative writing classes at Atlanta University and even guest-lectured at the University of Chicago for a few months. Continuing until his death in May of 1967, Langston continued to write several books and plays along with a second installment of his autobiography titled: I Wonder as I Wander.
Langston Hughes died from complications of prostate cancer on May 22nd, 1967. His remains were cremated, but the ashes were laid under the entrance of the Arthur Schomburg Center for Research in Black culture in Harlem. According to Bio.com, the inscription that marks the spot features a line from Hughes’s poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers. It reads: “My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”
Happy Black History Month!
TSR STAFF: Talia O. @theclosetratchet on Instagram & @tallyohhh on Twitter!
Source: http://www.biography.com/people/langston-hughes-9346313#early-life, http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/langston-hughes
