Showing results for "James Weldon Johnson" in Arts & Entertainment

This is a collection of poems by James Weldon Johnson. Johnson was an early civil rights activist, and this theme is the basis for many of the poems in this collection as well. This volume also contains an introduction by Brander Matthews.The first half of this volume contains poems in classical style and form, the second half of this collection is a set of "Jingles & Croons". - Summary by Carolin

The story of a biracial man living in the deep south after the reconstruction era. He is young and talented. Yet, in order for him to avoid stigma, he has to pass as white. But would his sense of belonging and solidarity to the black community of the time catch up with him at the end? "It is very likely that the Negroes of the United States have a fairly correct idea of what the white people of the country think of them, for that opinion has for a long time been and is still being constantly stated; but they are themselves more or less a sphinx to the whites. It is curiously interesting and ...

Dive into the provocative world of James Weldon Johnsons only novel, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Originally published anonymously in 1912, this unique fictional narrative masquerades as a memoir, recounting the life of an unnamed biracial protagonist during the tumultuous Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction periods in the South. Experience the eye-opening revelations of a young boy who grew up assuming he was white, only to have his perception of race and identity upended in an instant. Discover how this pivotal moment shaped his view of himself and his world through the lens of...

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson is a novel that follows an unnamed biracial protagonist navigating race and identity in early 20th-century America. Born to a Black mother and a wealthy white father, he grows up privileged but later experiences racism, forcing him to confront his identity. A talented pianist, he explores Black culture through music and travels from the American South to Europe. Eventually, he chooses to "pass" as white, abandoning his heritage for social and economic security. The novel critiques racial hypocrisy and explores the cost of ...

LibriVox volunteers bring you 14 readings of Morning, Noon and Night by James Weldon Johnson. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of September 14th, 2014.James Weldon Johnson served as U. S. Consul to Venezuela and Nicaragua, was an early leader in the NAACP and contributed to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. He had a broad appreciation for black artists, musicians and writers, and worked to heighten awareness of their creativity. (from Wikipedia)