The life and work of James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, is explored in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library's exhibition "Along His Way," on view through Tuesday, June 30. The exhibit features original documents, photographs, manuscripts, books and memorabilia. Johnson was the first African-American lawyer admitted to the Florida Bar, served as the U.S. consul to Venezuela and Nicaragua, and was the first field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He was also a successful songwriter, poet, novelist and professor of English at Fisk University. His works include "Black Manhattan," "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man," the collection of verse sermons "God's Trombones" and an autobiography titled "Along This Way."
From Thursday, July 9, through the end of September, the Beinecke Library will feature two related exhibitions. "Yankees in Eden" will document the history of Near Eastern studies at Yale and worldwide, while "Treasures from Eden" will bring together a selection of artifacts, covering a wide range of subjects, from Yale's Babylonian Collection.
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 Saturdays in June and July, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The library will be closed on July 4, Sept. 7 (Labor Day) and on Saturdays in August. For further information, call 432-2977.
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