"The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" by James Weldon Johnson is a story set in the early 1900s, about a man with mixed heritage trying to find his place in a country divided by race. The book tells the life of the main character as he deals with the difficulties of being both black and white in America, looking at important ideas like figuring out who you are and how prejudice affects people. The story starts with the main character thinking about sharing his life story, which is full of the troubles of race relations in America. As a child in Georgia, he remembers being separated from his father and learning hard lessons about his mixed background and what society expects from him. From sweet memories with his mother to hurtful discoveries about his own race, the book shows him growing up and learning about the complicated world around him and his journey to understand where he belongs.
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
By James Weldon Johnson
Torn between two worlds in a racially charged America, one man's secret decision to live as white leads him on a journey of self-discovery with unforeseen consequences.
Summary
About the AuthorJames Weldon Johnson was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was married to civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson. Johnson was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he started working in 1917. In 1920, he was chosen as executive secretary of the organization, effectively the operating officer. He served in that position from 1920 to 1930. Johnson established his reputation as a writer, and was known during the Harlem Renaissance for his poems, novel and anthologies collecting both poems and spirituals of Black culture. He wrote the lyrics for "Lift Every Voice and Sing", which later became known as the Black National Anthem, the music being written by his younger brother, composer J. Rosamond Johnson.
James Weldon Johnson was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was married to civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson. Johnson was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he started working in 1917. In 1920, he was chosen as executive secretary of the organization, effectively the operating officer. He served in that position from 1920 to 1930. Johnson established his reputation as a writer, and was known during the Harlem Renaissance for his poems, novel and anthologies collecting both poems and spirituals of Black culture. He wrote the lyrics for "Lift Every Voice and Sing", which later became known as the Black National Anthem, the music being written by his younger brother, composer J. Rosamond Johnson.
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