James Weldon Johnson's Autobiography Of An Ex-Colored Man

The Tragic Mulatto Book Report James Weldon Johnson was born in Jacksonville, Florida on June 17, 1871. He was an author, educator, lawyer, songwriter, diplomat, and civil rights activist. He was first home schooled by his mother who was a musician and public school teacher before going to a public school. His mother instilled in him the love and knowledge of American literature. When Johnson was 16 he attended Clark Atlanta University, an HBCU, and graduated in 1894. Joining the Great Migration out of the south Johnson and his brother moved to New York City, and started writing songs on Broadway in the early 1900 s. Within the next 40 years Johnson worked in education, the diplomatic corps and became a civil rights activist. In 1934 Johnson was the first African American professor at New York University Johnson became increasingly involved in the Harlem Renaissance, which he called …show more content…
Many of the ideas from the Harlem Renaissance lived on long after the renaissance was over. Many African Americans used art to prove their humanity and express their ideas and demand equality. The Harlem Renaissance opened more doors for African Americans to be published. James Weldon Johnson’s Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man was the most distinguished book of the Harlem Renaissance. Johnson’s leadership in the NAACP was responsible for the popularity of his novel. The Harlem Renaissance changed America’s and the world’s perspective and outlook of African Americans. After African Americans migrated from the south to the north, people stopped viewing blacks as an uneducated and ignorant community to seeing the as knowledgeable individuals. During this time the African American community started seeing themselves in a different light too. They were more motivated and gained a sense of pride that was stripped from