Langston Hughes

"Negro writers, just by being black, have been on the blacklist all our lives. Do you know that there are libraries in our country that will not stock a book by a Negro writer, not even as a gift? There are towns where Negro newspapers and magazines cannot be sold except surreptitiously. There are American magazines that have never published anything by Negroes. There are film studios that have never hired a Negro writer. Censorship for us begins at the color line."

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Source: Langston Hughes, Donna Sullivan Harper (2002). “The Early Simple Stories”, p.22, University of Missouri Press

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Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes

Poet, Novelist

Langston Hughes was a prominent American poet and social activist known for his impactful works that explore themes of race, identity, and resilience.

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"A world I dream where black or white, Whatever race you be, Will share the bounties of the Earth And every man is free."

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"I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes. Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then. Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed-- I, too, am America."

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