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Harlem Renaissance Poets: Johnson, Toomer, Hughes, and Brooks

© Linda Sue Grimes

The literary period known as the Harlem Renaissance (1919-35) saw a great outpouring of poetry by African Americans.

James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) was truly a renaissance man, writing poetry, novels, music and serving as ambassador to Venezuela. His song, "Lift Every Voice and Sing,” became known as the Negro National Anthem. He was a founding member of the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Jean Toomer (1894-1967) was born in Washington D.C. His skin was light, and he passed as white during various periods of his life, but he remained aware of the great racial divide that plagued the country. He became interested in yoga through the teachings of Gurdjieff; he sought transcendence of the race issues, which the unifying doctrines of yoga impart.

Langston Hughes (1902-67) is considered a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance. His poetry is well known and studied widely in schools and colleges across America. Probably his most famous poem is “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” which he wrote when he was only eighteen. He went on to write much unforgettable prose as well, including the Semple Stories.

Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000), who was born in Topeka, Kansas, authored more than twenty books of poetry. Her book of poetry, Annie Allen, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1949. In 1953 she published a novel, Maud Martha, and in 1972 she published her autobiography, Report from Part One. In 1968 she was appointed Poet Laureate for Illinois. She served as U.S. Poet Laureate 1985-86, when the position was titled Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. She earned many awards for her writing. She made her home in Chicago, where she died December 3, 2000.

Other poets of this dynamic period include Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906), Angelina W. Grimke (1880-1958), Jessie Redmon Fauset (1882-1961), Anne Spencer (1882-1976), Claude McKay (1891-1948), Esther Popel (1896-1958), Sterling A. Brown (1901-89), Gwendolyn B. Bennett (1902-81), Countee Cullen (1903-46), Robert Hayden (1913-80).

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