James weldon johnson biography
James weldon johnson biography
James weldon johnson timeline!
Johnson, James Weldon 1871–1938
Writer, lyricist, lawyer, consul, civil rights activist, educator
At a Glance…
“Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Early 20th Century Political Activity
Became NAACP Leader
A Preserver of Culture
A Legacy of Hope
Selected writings
Sources
James Weldon Johnson’s boundless energy and concern for the plight of African Americans combined to produce an extraordinary career.
As a poet, journalist, social activist, and educator, Johnson sought new standards for the treatment of blacks in the early decades of the twentieth century. He was simultaneously a mainstream American writer, a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and a collector of the most poignant songs and poems produced by black Americans prior to 1930.
In Black Poets of the United States: From Paul Laurence Dunbar to Langston Hughes, Jean Wagner called Johnson “doubtless one of the most distinguished and influe