Langston Hughes:
On May 22, 1967, One Of The Most Prolific American Writers Of The 20th Century Died.
Langston Hughes Died In New York City While Working On A New Collection Of Poetry That Was Later Published As " The Panther And The Lash."
Hughes' Career Spanned From The Harlem Renaissance Of The 1920s Through The New Black Renaissance Of The 1960s.
His First Volume Of Poetry, The Weary Blues, Was Published In 1926 And His First Book Of Short Stories, The Ways Of White Folks, In 1934.
Hughes' Novels, Poetry, Plays And Short Stories Were Central To The Transition Of Black Writing From "The Plantation Tradition" To Contemporary, Urbane Forms Which Promoted Racial Pride.
In 1960 Langston Hughes Received The NAACP's Spingarn Medal, At Which Time He Was Dubbed, The "Poet Laureate Of The Negro Race," Hughes Is Also Considered One Of The Most Important American Writers Of The 20th Century.
The Following Poem Can be Interpreted As An Inversion Of The Golden Rule And As A Creed For Survival. It Is Also One Of My Personal Favorites:
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MOTTO
By Langston Hughes
I play it cool
And dig all jive
That's the reason
I stay alive
My motto
As I live and learn
Is:
Dig And Be Dug
In Return.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
