Biography of James Weldon Johnson
One of the leading figures in 20th Century American Literature and politics, James Weldon Johnson, proved to be a man of many talents. He was born on June 17, 1871 in Jacksonville, Florida to James and Helen Johnson. At age 23, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Atlanta University. Following graduation, Johnson accepted the principalship of his former grade school: Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida where he worked for eight years.
Motivated by a sense of mission to his race, Johnson began publishing a daily newspaper, The Daily American in May 1895. Two years later, he passed the bar examination and became certified to practice law in the state of Florida. Also, in 1897 he became the first black to be admitted to the bar in Duval County, Florida.
With his brother Rosamond, the multi-talented Johnson decided to embark on a songwriting career in New York City. Together they composed "Lift Every Voice and Sing", which became regarded as the Black National Anthem. In 1902, he resigned from the Stanton School and began studying dramatic literature at Columbus University. Four years hence he became the US Consul to Venezuela and later Consul to Nicaragua.
While penning a major novel The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, he completed six years of service as an American diplomat. Feeling that he should take a more active part in the struggle for racial justice, he returned to New York in 1913 and became an editor-writer for a prominent Black newspaper. Three years later, he joined the staff of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) where he served as a field secretary and later as executive secretary (1920).
During his writing career, Johnson published several other books including The Book of American Negro Poetry, The Book of American Negro Spirituals, and God's Trombones. His autobiography Along This Way was published in 1933 - two years after he became a professor at Fisk University.
On June 26, 1938 James Weldon Johnson's life ended as the result of a car/train accident in Wiscasset, Maine.
This excerpt appeared in the booklet entitled "A Golden Legacy - Rich and Diverse" created for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the James Weldon Johnson School/Yorktown Intermediate/Yorktown Middle School held on Saturday, August 21, 2004 at Yorktown Middle School in Yorktown, VA.