James weldon johnson biography childhood immunization schedule from birth to 12 years

James Weldon Johnson was a civil rights activist, writer, composer, politician, educator and lawyer, as well as one of the leading figures in the creation and development of the Harlem Renaissance. After graduating from Atlanta University, Johnson worked as a principal in a grammar school, founded a newspaper, The Daily American , and became the first African American to pass the Florida Bar.

James Weldon Johnson was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on June 17, , the son of a freeborn Virginian father and a Bahamian mother, and was raised without a sense of limitations amid a society focused on segregating African Americans. After graduating from Atlanta University, Johnson was hired as a principal in a grammar school. While serving in this position, in , he founded The Daily American newspaper.

James weldon johnson early life

In , Johnson became the first African American to pass the bar exam in Florida. Not long after, in , James and his brother, John, wrote the song "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which would later become the official anthem of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The Johnson brothers would go on to write more than songs for the Broadway musical stage.

Johnson then moved to New York and studied literature at Columbia University, where he met other African American artists. Upon his return in , Johnson became involved with the NAACP, and by , was serving as chief executive of the organization. Also during this period, he became known as one of the leading figures in the creation and development of the African American artistic community known as the Harlem Renaissance.