James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson Biography

James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) was an American author, educator, lawyer, and civil rights activist. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and grew up in a multiracial community. He attended Atlanta University and later graduated from Columbia University with a law degree.

Johnson began his career as a teacher and principal in Jacksonville, but later became a lawyer and worked with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as a field secretary and executive secretary. He also served as the first African American consul to Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Johnson was a prolific writer and is best known for his poetry and fiction. His most famous work is "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which is widely considered to be the "Negro National Anthem." He also wrote the novel "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" and edited the influential anthology "The Book of American Negro Poetry."

Johnson was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement and worked tirelessly to promote racial equality and political empowerment for African Americans. He died in 1938 in a car accident.

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