author
James Weldon Johnson
1871–1938
A major voice of the Harlem Renaissance, this writer brought together poetry, fiction, music, and civil rights work in a life of remarkable range. His books still stand out for their dignity, clarity, and deep sense of Black history and culture.
3 Audiobooks
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
by James Weldon Johnson
Self-Determining Haiti Four articles reprinted from The Nation embodying a report of an investigation made for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
by James Weldon Johnson
Fifty Years, & Other Poems
by James Weldon Johnson
About the author
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1871, James Weldon Johnson built an unusually wide-ranging career as a writer, educator, lawyer, diplomat, songwriter, journalist, and civil rights leader. He studied at Atlanta University, later became principal of the Stanton School, and went on to become one of the most respected Black public intellectuals of his era.
Johnson is especially remembered for works such as The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man and God's Trombones, as well as for helping shape the Harlem Renaissance. With his brother J. Rosamond Johnson, he also wrote songs including "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which became deeply important in American cultural life.
Beyond literature, he served as a U.S. diplomat in Venezuela and Nicaragua and played a leading role in the NAACP, where he was a powerful advocate for civil rights. He died in 1938, but his writing and public work continue to make him one of the key figures in American literature and Black history.