Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was a poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He grew up in Missouri.
Hughes was a leader of the Harlem Renaissance: from 1910 to 1930 the New York neighbourhood Harlem became a hot-spot of creative activity. African American Literature, music, stage performances, and art experienced a golden age during this period.
From the mid-1920s until his death in 1967, Langston Hughes wrote more than sixty books. His literary production covers a wide range of genres: journalism, novels, short stories, and plays. Today, he is above all remembered for his poetry.
Both of Hughes' paternal great-grandmothers were enslaved African Americans, and both of his paternal great-grandfathers were white slave owners in Kentucky. Hughes' parents divorced soon after he was born, and he was raised by his mother. Hughes had a complicated relationship with his father. His father was part white and felt deep dislike of his Black heritage. Hughes turned from his father in disgust. 'I hated my father' he would write many years later in his autobiography. Langston Hughes devoted his poetic talents to the celebration of Black culture.
I, Too
The poem 'I, Too' by Langston Hughes, explores African American identity in the United States. The first line, 'I, too, sing America' is an allusion to Walt Whitman's iconic poem 'I Hear America Singing'. By making the allusion to Whitman's poem, Hughes is making it clear that African Americans are also part of the fabric of American society and that they are going to claim their rightful place.
You can read the poem by following the link to Poetry Foundation's website: Link to the poem 'I, Too' by Langston Hughes.
Kids Who Die
'Kids Who Die' is a poem about young people who stood up for the rights of workers and for civil rights in America.
The poem mentions Angelo Herndon, who was an African American labour organiser arrested and convicted of insurrection after attempting to organise Black and white industrial workers in 1932 in Atlanta, Georgia.
You can read the poem by following the link to allpoetry.com: Link to 'Kids Who Die' by Langston Hughes on the website allpoetry.com