Langston_Hughes

Langston Hughes Langston Hughes Poet, novelist, journalist, playwright, essayist, and songwriter: all of these words describe a man who is said to be one of the twentieth century’s most respected and often controversial writers. This man’s main mission was to help enlighten people on the racial issues that were before them (Berry 5). At that time, this man was only the second black person to make a living as a writer (Harper 5). His name was Langston Hughes, and he crossed numerous racial barriers and gained widespread popularity while criticizing racism. Shaped by his parents, childhood, and life experiences, Langston Hughes became one of the most influential Black Americans of his time. Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, to James and Carrie Hughes. James Hughes had a law degree, but was unable to maintain a law practice because of racism. Carrie Hughes, a prominent activist in the Abolitionist Movement, had big dreams of becoming an actress, but her dreams were as well crushed by racism. Instead of keeping to their dreams, his parents had to settle for whatever job they could find. Hughes’ father, being frustrated with hughes, berry, racism, racial, life, langston, black, while, radical, jazz, issues, great, activism, university, time, school, one, long, hughes’, harlem, communistic, after, wrote, writers, works, white, said, russia, renaissance, politics, often, moved, mother, man, job