James Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871 – June 26, 1938) was a distinguished American writer, educator, and civil rights leader. He married Grace Nail Johnson, herself an influential activist. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Johnson studied at Atlanta University before embarking on a remarkably varied career as a teacher, lawyer, journalist, diplomat, and advocate for racial justice. His diplomatic service included appointments as U.S. consul in both Venezuela and Nicaragua, and later he joined the faculty of Fisk University.

Together with his brother, composer J. Rosamond Johnson, he wrote the hymn “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which would become known as the Black National Anthem. Johnson’s literary contributions include several poetry collections, among them Fifty Years and Other Poems (1917), Saint Peter Relates an Incident (1934), Selected Poems (1936), The Creation (1994), Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing (1995), and Complete Poems (2000).

Throughout his life, Johnson received numerous honors, including the Spingarn Medal and the W.E.B. Du Bois Prize for Negro Literature. He died in a car accident while vacationing in Maine, leaving behind a legacy of creativity, leadership, and unwavering commitment to civil rights.

Poems:

• The Creation
• Dem Bones