Zora Neale Hurston Biography

On January 7th, 1891, Zora Neale Hurston was born into a family of seven children and her parents in Notasulga, Alabama. As a toddler, her family and she moved to Eatonville, Florida, the first incorporated black township, where Hurston proudly called home. When she was only thirteen, her mother passed away and her father remarried. Life at that point became difficult for Hurston due to her relationship with her step-mother. Eventually at the age of sixteen, Hurston left home and joined a travelling theater troupe; after some time, she moved to New York City in the 1920s. She began her college career at Howard University, but then was awarded a scholarship to Barnard College. Hurston graduated from Barnard College in 1928 completing her Bachelor’s degree in anthropology. Subsequently, she expanded her anthropology studies and obtained her Master’s from Colombia University in 1930. Contributing to her anthropology studies, she researched folklore in multiple locations such as the South and the Caribbean’s composing informative literature about the folklore. Hurston is one of the various renowned and notable authors during the Harlem Renaissance. Some of her literary works include her first novel Jonah’s Gourd Vine, Dust Tracks on a Road, her and

One of the noteworthy aspects of her livelihood was being a successful author during the Harlem Renaissance. To illustrate and expand, the Harlem Renaissance was the movement and blossoming of African-American’s representation in culture, the Arts, and academics. The purpose of the era was to reshape culture and pride for African-Americans after centuries of immense inequality and treatment. This movement assimilated a sense of intersectionality through culture, art, and academics facilitating to enhance American society. As learnt in class, it is important to channel intersectionality and let it be signified within everything in