Langston Hughes was a literary giant who found fame during the rise of Black art and culture known widely as the Harlem Renaissance. As a leader of that movement, Hughes’ legacy is set, but his work transcends the period.
The legendary poet’s 123rd birthday just passed. Hughes was born February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri, but he was primarily raised by his grandmother in Lawrence, Kan. Hughes’ lineage includes slaveholders as both paternal great-grandfathers were slave owners. His maternal grandmother was of mixed race and one of the first women to attend Oberlin College. Hughes’ mother was born to a mixed race abolitionist father.