Zora Neale Hurston

From her magnificent plays to her great poetry that was published, Grimke changed the theater world in ways the common person would not even realize. With her hard work and determination to be as educated as possible, she achieved standards in theater that no other African American could in the early 1900s. The fact that Angelina was so educated by the time she graduated college was good, but why she got that education originated form a few significant factors. Angela Weld Grimke served as an agent of change as a female African American writer who used her education and ability to write to advance theater for minority groups such as African Americans. The role her father played in the life as well as her educational experiences helped to form the main foundation of her many successful theatrical plays.

In her early years Nikki Giovanni was thrust into the black culture and “gained an intense appreciation for her African-American heritage from her outspoken grandmother” (). Once in a personal interview Giovanni proclaimed that her biggest inspiration was her “grandmother and those wonderful women of her time” (). Nikki Giovanni idolized her grandmother for her strength, influence, and outspokenness. Her grandmother provided Giovanni with an “intense appreciation for her African-American heritage” which allowed her to discover her poetic voice and writing potential. Throughout her grades school years Nikki Giovanni flourished and with the guidance of many teachers she “enrolled early... ... middle of paper ... ...r twenty honorary degrees from colleges and universities around the country.” (po).

Few years later, due to health and financial struggles, she was forced to enter the St Lucie County Welfare Home where she suffered several strokes and died of hypertensive heart disease. She died poor and alone in 1960 and was buried in Fort Pierce, Florida in an unmarked grave. Being the famous writer she was, nevertheless her friends and people she made connections with abandoned her in the moments of greater needs. Even though her life was not a beautiful painting in itself, she contributed to the greater cause and advancement of African-Americans through her writings and recorded documents of Black stories relating to that of the Africans. She made it possible for later generations to look back and inquire about their

The Harlem Renaissance gave African American women new opportunities in literature. “The Harlem Renaissance was the name given to the cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem between the end of World War 1 and the middle of the 1930s.” (Wormser) It was a challenge for women poets during the Harlem Renaissance because they were both black and women. (Walton) Jessie Fauset, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Regina Anderson, and Nella Larson all played important roles in the Harlem Renaissance. (Lewis) These women inspired many generations of women to come. (Walton) Jessie Fauset was born in 1882 in New Jersey.

Maya Angelou has dedicated her life to end prejudices faced by many black females in the 20th century. As an author, poet, and entertainer, she is known best for her strong portrayal of African-American women. Some of her most outstanding work is the series of autobiographies that she wrote telling about her childhood. Her work has contributed immensely to Americans everywhere. She has also broken many barriers for black women in writing, entertainment, and in film making.

Under the Harlem Renaissance, African American culture flourished. Due to the Great Migration, Harlem became one of the nation’s largest and most influential African-American communities (Brinkley 656). A place so densely packed with people of the same ethnic group who all came out of similar circumstances is practically certain to bring forth some kind of culture. It was in Harlem that the seeds were planted. There, they brought African culture into America through their literature, poetry, and art.

A quote from the unforgettable Fannie Lou Hamer "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired." Hamer was born in Montgomery County, Mississippi, in 1917, who was a farmer that distorted the United States outlook on the democratic system. Hamer made most of her remarks during the 1960’s, for instance, she joined the SNCC in 1962, which was the Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee. She wanted to motivate African Americans of her town to be encouraged to register as voters. After joining the SNCC, she lost her job, like most African Americans who joined civil rights organizations.

Zora Neale Hurston was the best and most prolific African American woman writer of the 1930’s. Before writing her masterwork Their Eyes Watching God, she was an anthropologist and novelist. She was a revolutionary in helping to protect the rights of African Americans and she was known during the Harlem Renaissance for her wit and folk writing style. Hurston was born in Notasulga, Alabama on January 7, 1891. She was the fifth of seven children of Lucy Ann Potts and John Hurston, who moved to Eatonville when Hurston was three.

The Extraordinary Life of a Black Author Alice Walker is a very recognizable black author that some critics think as the strongest author of her time due to how she can express herself. Walker is an author who wrote a joof her life but never expected to share her stories with the world until she was inspired by other authors with similar hardships. Alice Tallulah- Katie Walker is the well-known and respected contemporary African American author of The Color Purple that has been read by millions around the world. Alice Walker was born on February 9th, 1944 in a town called Eatonton, Georgia (“Biography of Alice Walker”). Alice Walker was the youngest child of her mother Minnie Tallulah Grant Walker and father Willie Lee Walker.

Alice Childress-a veteran dramatist Alice Childress has been described as a distinguished woman playwright of her time, a literary genius, a great collaborator and an inspiration for African-American women in drama. Her exceptional career in the theater has spanned more than half a century. She began her play writing career in the late 1940s. She wrote her first play because she loved theater, and black theater needed good material. Childress’ contribution to the American theater has been varied and consistent.