James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) was a diplomat, lawyer, author, songwriter and teacher, whose many accomplishments included being the first African-American lawyer admitted to the Florida Bar and founder of the first black newspaper in that state's city of Jacksonville. As an author, he is best remembered for the novel "Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man," one of the earliest books to explore the experiences of an African American passing as white, that was based on the life of his first law partner. He wrote over 200 songs for the musical stage in collaboration with his brother, John Rosamond Johnson; one of his songs, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," is today a well-known anthem.
A major exhibition on Johnson's life and works, titled "Along His Way," will open on Friday, April 17, at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The exhibit will be on view till the end of June.
"Johnson was an extraordinarily talented and versatile individual," says Patricia Willis, curator of the Yale Collection of American Literature, who organized the exhibit with the assistance of Yale senior Emily Chiang. "He was a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance, as well as a pioneer for racial equality. We wanted to demonstrate that versatility in the exhibit -- how his life as a political leader and teacher ran parallel to his literary and artistic career."
"Along His Way," whose title refers to Johnson's 1933 autobiography "Along This Way," features books, newspapers, scrapbooks, photographs, manuscripts and memorabilia, drawn from the Beinecke's James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection as well as from other sources. The final section of the exhibit includes books, manuscripts and letters by Johnson's friends, including W.E.B. DuBois, Clarence Darrow, W.C. Handy, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, Gertrude Stein and Carl Van Vechten.
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Johnson received his bachelor's degree in 1894 from Atlanta University. While teaching school in his home city, he studied law. He founded the city's first black newspaper in 1895. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him the United States consul to Venezuela, and from 1909 until 1914, he held a similar post in Nicaragua. Through the 1920s, Johnson served as the first field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), lecturing and traveling widely around the United States to build membership. Beginning in 1932, Johnson taught literature at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. He died tragically in Maine when his car was struck by a train.
In addition to "Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" and "Along This Way," Johnson's books include "Fifty Years and Other Poems," the anthology "Book of American Negro Poetry," two collections of "American Negro Spirituals" and "Black Manhattan." He also published "God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse."
On Friday, April 17, "God's Trombones" will be read by members of the New Haven and Yale communities, led by the Reverend Frederick J. Streets, University chaplain. The program, which includes musical interludes, will take place at 5:15 p.m. in Battell Chapel, corner of Elm and College streets. The event is sponsored by the Chaplain's Office and the Beinecke Library. A reception will follow the presentation at the Beinecke Library, where the exhibit will be on view. Both events are free and open to the public.
The James Weldon Johnson Collection of African-American arts and letters was founded in 1941 by novelist and photographer Carl Van Vechten. The collection includes the papers of many figures of the Harlem Renaissance, as well as a wealth of printed works, photographs and ephemeral materials.
The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, located at 121 Wall St., is open for exhibition viewing Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and on Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For information about the library, call 432-2977 or visit its web site at www.library.yale.edu/beinecke/brblhome.htm.
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