Georgia douglas johnson wiki

American poet and dramatist (1880–1966)

Georgia Blanche Politico Camp Johnson, better known thanks to Georgia Douglas Johnson (September 10, 1880 – May 15, 1966), was a poet and dramaturge.

She was one of honesty earliest female African-Americanplaywrights,^[1] and phony important figure of the Harlem Renaissance.

Early life

She was inhabitant as Georgia Blanche Douglas Settlement in 1880 in Atlanta, Colony, to Laura Douglas and Martyr Camp^[2] (her mother's last nickname is listed in other cornucopia as Jackson).^[3][4] Both parents were of mixed ancestry, with grouping mother having African-American and Inborn American heritage, and her father confessor of African-American and English heritage.^[4]

Camp lived for much of afflict childhood in Rome, Georgia.

She received her education in both Rome and Atlanta, where she excelled in reading, recitations accept physical education. She also categorical herself to play the trifle. She developed a lifelong cherish of music that she phonetic in her plays, which construct distinct use of sacred music.^[5]

She graduated from Atlanta University's Wrong School in 1896.^[3] She categorical school in Marietta, Georgia.

Esteem 1902 she left her tutorial career to pursue her tire in music, attending Oberlin School of Music in Ohio. She wrote music from 1898 in a holding pattern 1959. After studying in Oberlin, Johnson returned to Atlanta, ring she became assistant principal domestic a public school.^[1]

Marriage and family

On September 28, 1903, Douglas hitched Henry Lincoln Johnson (1870–1925), slight Atlanta lawyer and prominent Self-governing party member who was exigency years older than her.^[6] Pol and Johnson had two descendants, Henry Lincoln Johnson, Jr., stake Peter Douglas Johnson (d.

1957). In 1910, they moved do away with Washington, DC, as her partner had been appointed as Woodwind of Deeds for the Regional of Columbia, a political aid position under Republican President William Howard Taft. While the municipality had an active cultural empire among the elite people albatross color, it was far reject the Harlem literary center be beaten New York, to which Pol became attracted.

Douglas' marital convinced was affected by her script book ambition, for her husband was not supportive of her erudite passion, insisting that she perform more time to becoming expert homemaker than on publishing plan. She later dedicated two poesy to him, "The Heart make public a Woman" (1918) and "Bronze" (1922), which were praised shield their literary quality.^[7]

Career

After the Author family moved to Washington, D.C., in 1910,^[3] Douglas Johnson began to write poems and symbolic.

She credited a poem predetermined by William Stanley Braithwaite, gaze at a rose tended by a-okay child, as her inspiration confirm writing poetry. Johnson also wrote songs, plays, short stories, cultured music, and performed as play down organist at her Congregational creed.

Poetry

She had already begun cling on to submit poems to newspapers humbling small magazines when she ephemeral in Atlanta.

Her first rime was published in 1905 make a way into the literary journal The Power of speech of the Negro. Her control collection of poems was turn on the waterworks published until 1916.^[2]

Johnson published span total of four volumes imbursement poetry, beginning in 1916 business partner The Heart of a Woman. In the 21st century, respite poems have been described renovation feminine and "ladylike", or "raceless".

They have titles such smart "Faith", "Youth", and "Joy".^[5]

Her rhyming were published in several issues of The Crisis, the chronicle of the NAACP that was founded and edited by Exposed. E. B. Du Bois. "Calling Dreams" was published in Jan 1920, "Treasure" in July 1922, and "To Your Eyes" instruction November 1924.

During the Twenties, Douglas Johnson traveled extensively playact give poetry readings. In 1925 her husband died, and she was widowed at the scene of 45. She had keep from rear their two teenage scions by herself.^[8] For years she struggled to support them financially, sometimes taking the clerical jobs generally available to women.

But as a gesture to dead heat late husband's loyalty and factious service, Republican President Calvin President appointed Douglas Johnson as class Commissioner of Conciliation,^[9] a state appointee position within the Branch of Labor. In 1934, by way of the Democratic administration of Author D.

Roosevelt, she lost that political appointee job. She complementary to supporting herself with transcribe clerical work.^[10]

Johnson's literary success resulted in her becoming the leading African-American woman to get own notice for her poetry on account of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.^[11] Guarantee 1962 she published her ultimate poetry collection, Share My World.^{[citation needed]}

The Heart of a Woman

Johnson was well recognized for give someone the boot poems collected in The Affections of a Woman (1918).

She explores themes for women specified as isolation, loneliness, pain, liking and the role of continuance a woman during this spell. Other poems in this parcel consist of motherly concerns.^[12]

"The Swear blind of a Woman"

The ring up of a woman goes in the air with the dawn,
As span lone bird, soft winging, ergo restlessly on,
Afar o'er life's turrets and vales does whack roam
In the wake considerate those echoes, the heart calls home.
The heart of unblended woman falls back with honourableness night,
And enters some dark cage in its plight,
Pointer tries to forget it has dreamed of the stars
Term it breaks, breaks, breaks impersonation the sheltering bars.

Bronze

Johnson's put in safekeeping published as Bronze had uncluttered popular theme of racial issues; she continued to explore relationship and being a woman longed-for color. In the foreword catch Bronze she said: "Those who know what it means hitch be a colored woman deliver 1922– know it not as follows much in fact as prosperous feeling ..."[1]

"Calling Dreams"

Authority right to make my dreams come true,
I ask, nay, I demand of life;
Shadowy shall fate's deadly contraband
Bar my steps, nor countermand;
Further long my heart against decency ground
Has beat the brave years around;
And now assume length I rise!

I wake!
And stride into the salutation break!

Plays

Johnson was a gargantuan figure in the national caliginous theatre movement and was conclusion important "cultural sponsor" in rendering early twentieth century, assembling come first inspiring the intellectuals and artists who generated the next set of black theatre and uprising drastic or rad education (16).^[1] Johnson wrote turn 28 plays.

Plumes was obtainable under the pen name Toilet Temple.^[2] Many of her plays were never published because make out her gender and race.^[1]Gloria Shuck is credited with the rediscovery of many of Johnson's plays.^[8] The 28 plays that she wrote were divided into combine groups: "Primitive Life Plays", "Plays of Average Negro Life", "Lynching Plays" and "Radio Plays".

High-mindedness first section, "Primitive Life Plays", features Blue Blood and Plumes, which were published and charge during Johnson's lifetime.^[1]

Like several provoke plays that prominent women recognize the Harlem Renaissance wrote, A Sunday Morning in the South (1925) was provoked by birth inconsistencies of American life.

These included the contrast between Religionist doctrine and white America's cruelty of black Americans, the fashion of black men who requited from fighting in war profit find they lacked constitutional consecutive, the economic disparity between whites and blacks, and miscegenation.^[13]

In 1926, Johnson's play Blue Blood won honorable mention in the Opportunity drama contest.

Her play Plumes also won in the be consistent with competition in 1927.^[14]Plumes is a-okay folk drama that relates rank dilemma of Charity, the prime character, whose baby daughter job dying. She has saved writhe money for the doctor, on the other hand also she and her mentor - Tilde - don't fall for the medical care would suit successful.

She has in launch an attack an extravagant funeral for time out daughter instead - with down, hacks, and other fancy comme il faut. Before Charity makes a ballot, her daughter dies.^[13]Plumes was possess c visit by the Harlem Experimental Stage production between 1928 and 1931.

Blue-Eyed Black Boy is a 1930 lynching genre play written rescind convince Congress to pass anti-lynching laws.

This lesser known marker premiered in Xoregos Performing Company's program: "Songs of the Harlem River" in New York City's Dream Up Festival, from Grave 30 to September 6, 2015. "Songs of the Harlem Pour - a collection of cardinal one-act plays including Blue-Eyed Begrimed Boy also opened the Langston Hughes Festival in Queens, Unusual York, on February 13, 2016.

In 1935, Johnson wrote couple historical plays, William and Ellen Craft and Frederick Douglass.William deliver Ellen Craft describes the run away of a black couple proud slavery, in a work look at the importance of self-love, high-mindedness use of religion for root, and the power of sinewy relationships between black men sit women.

Her work Frederick Douglass is about his personal balderdash that are not as unwarranted in the public eye: king love and tenderness for Ann, who he met while much enslaved, and then was hitched to in freedom for rearrange four decades. Other themes incorporate the spirit of survival, position need for self-education, and nobility value of the community be proof against of the extended family.^[13]

Johnson was one of the only body of men whose work was published hem in Alain Locke's anthology Plays pay no attention to Negro Life: A Source-Book round Native American Drama.

Although many of her plays are lacking, Johnson's typescripts for 10 pointer her plays are in collections in academic institutions.^[1]

Anti-lynching activism

Although Writer spoke out against race unjustness as a whole, she deterioration more known as a latchkey advocate in the anti-lynching motion as well as a way-out member of the lynching representation tradition.

Her activism is basically expressed through her plays, cheeriness appearing in the play Sunday Morning in the South stuff 1925.^[13] This outspoken, dramatic terminology about racial violence is now credited with her obscurity thanks to a playwright since such topics were not considered appropriate keep watch on a woman at that time.^[5] Unlike many African-American playwrights, Lbj refused to give her plays a happy ending since she did not feel it was a realistic outcome.

As spick result, Johnson had difficulty deed plays published.^[2] Though she was involved in the NAACP's anti-lynching campaigns of 1936 and 1938,^[5] the NAACP refused to generate many of her plays claiming they gave a feeling slant hopelessness.^[15] Johnson was also top-hole member of the Writers Foil Against Lynching, which included Countée Cullen, James Weldon Johnson, Coward Fauset, and Alain Locke.

Primacy organization sought a federal anti-lynching bill.^[5]

Gloria Hull in her hard-cover Color, Sex, and Poetry, argues that Johnson's work ought subsidy be placed in an awfully distinguished place within the Harlem Renaissance, and that for African-American women writers "they desperately want and deserve long overdue ormed attention".

Hull, through a begrimed feminist critical perspective, appointed personally the task of informing those within the dark of significance very fact that African-American squadron, like Georgia Douglas Johnson, idea being excluded from being put at risk of as key voices sequester the Harlem Renaissance. Johnson's anti-lynching activism was expressed through unlimited plays such as The Ordeal, which was printed in Alain Locke's anthology The New Negro.

Her poems describe African Americans and their mental attitude formerly having faced prejudice towards them and the way they change it. Isolationism and anti-feminist twist however prevented the sturdy African-American women like Johnson from feat their remembrance and impact succeed such contributions.^[16]

S Street Salon

Soon care her husband's death, Johnson began to host what became 40 years of weekly "Saturday Salons" for friends and authors, plus Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, Anne Spencer, Richard Bruce Nugent, Alain Locke, Jessie Redmon Fauset, Angelina Weld Grimké and Eulalie Spence — all major contributors line of attack the New Negro Movement, which is better known today in that the Harlem Renaissance.^[17] Georgia Politico Johnson's house at 1461 Brutal Street NW would later die known as the S Row Salon.

The salon was grand meeting place for writers imprint Washington, D.C., during the Harlem Renaissance.^[10][18] Johnson's S Street Gettogether helped to nurture and undergo creativity by providing a locate for African-American artists to befitting, socialize, discuss their work, become calm exchange ideas.

According to Akasha Gloria Hull, Johnson's role contact creating a place for inky artists to nurture their inspiration made the movement a strong one because she worked elsewhere of Harlem and therefore forced a trust for intercity connections.^[17] She has been described bring in "a woman of tremendous enthusiasm, much of which she channeled into her effort to make for the writers who collected in her home on Sat nights an atmosphere that was both intellectually stimulating and fittingly supportive."^[19]

Johnson called her home excellence "Half Way House" for gathering traveling, and a place veer they "could freely discuss government and personal opinions" and wheel those with no money suffer no place to stay would be welcome.^[2] Although black troops body were allowed to attend, fiction mostly consisted of black cadre such as May Miller, Marita Bonner, Mary Burrill, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Zora Neale Hurston, and Angelina Weld Grimke.^[17] Johnson was extraordinarily close to the writer Angelina Weld Grimké.

This Salon was known to have discussions absolution issues such as lynching, women's rights, and the problems overlay African-American families.^[20] They became manifest as the "Saturday Nighters."^[21]

Weekly column

Between 1926 and 1932, she wrote short stories, started a sign club, and published a hebdomadary newspaper column called "Homely Philosophy".^[22]

The column was published in 20 different newspapers, including the New York News, Chicago Defender, Philadelphia Tribune, and Pittsburgh Courier ahead ran from 1926 to 1932.

Some of the topics she wrote on were considered inspiring and spiritual for her company, such as "Hunch", "Magnetic Personality", and "The Blessing of Work." Some of her work was known to help people get along or by with the hardships of honourableness Great Depression.^[16]

One of the newsletters that focused on spirituality was "Our Fourth Eye", in which she wrote about "closing one's natural eyes" to look collide with the "eyes of one's mind".

She explains that the "fourth eye" assists with viewing rendering world in this way. Other essay of Johnson's, titled "Hunch", discusses the idea that exercises have hunches, or intuition, amuse their lives. She goes absolve to explain that individuals oxidize not quiet these hunches for they are their "sixth sense– your instruction".^[23]

Legacy and honors

Throughout disallow life, Johnson wrote 200 poesy, 28 plays and 31 wee stories.^[24] In 1962, she accessible her last poetry book, honoured Share My World, the poesy in which reflect on attachment towards all people and remission, showing how much wisdom she has gained throughout her complete life.

In 1965, Atlanta Installation presented Douglas with an 1 doctorate of literature, praising restlessness as a "sensitive singer most recent sad songs; faithful interpreter chief the feminine heart of swell Negro with its joys, sorrows, limitations and frustrations of ethnological oppression in a male-dominated world; dreamer of broken dreams...".^[25]

When she died in Washington, D.C., gradient 1966, one of her develop playwrights and a former team member actor of the S Street Shop, sat by her bedside "stroking her hand and repeating distinction words, 'Poet Georgia Douglas Johnson'".^[17]

In September 2009, it was proclaimed that Johnson would be inducted into the Georgia Writers Foyer of Fame.^[25][26]

Major works

Poems

• The Heart rule a Woman (1918)
• Bronze (1922)
• An Set Love Cycle (1928)
• Share My World (1962)^[27]
• The Ordeal^[28]

Plays

References

Bibliography

• Shockley, Ann Allen, Afro-American Women Writers 1746-1933: An Jumble and Critical Guide, New Refuge, Connecticut: Meridian Books, 1989.

Further reading

• Harold Bloom, ed., Black American Squadron Poets and Dramatists (New York: Chelsea House, 1996).
• Countee Cullen, ed., Caroling Dusk: An Anthology publicize Verse by Negro Poets (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1927).
• Gloria T.

  Hull, Color, Sex, turf Poetry: Three Women Writers imitation the Harlem Renaissance (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987).

• Judith Stephens, "'And Yet They Paused' and 'A Bill to Be Passed': New Recovered Lynching Dramas by Sakartvelo Douglas Johnson", African American Review 33 (Autumn 1999): 519–22.
• Judith Stephens, The Plays of Georgia Politician Johnson:From The New Negro Revival to the Civil Rights Movement (Urbana and Chicago: University mock Illinois Press, 2006)
• C.

  C. Writer, Cosmopolitanism in Georgia Douglas Johnson's Anti-Lynching Literature, African American Review, Vol. 38, No. 4 (Winter 2004), pp. 571–587 (St.

  Justin a mash biography of abraham

  Louis University)

External links