- Creator
- Johnson, James Weldon, 1871-1938
- Physical description
- 2 folders
- Preferred Citation
- James Weldon Johnson collection, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
- Repository
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
- Access to materials
- Some collections held by the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture are held off-site and must be requested in advance. Please check the collection records in the NYPL's online catalog for detailed location information. To request access to materials in the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, please visit: http://archives.nypl.org/divisions/scm/request_access Request access to this collection.
James Weldon Johnson was a publisher, educator, lawyer, composer, artist, diplomat and civil rights leader. Together with his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, he wrote the song "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which came to be known as the "Negro National Anthem" as well as a large number of popular songs for the musical stage of the early twentieth century. Johnson also served as consul of the United States to Venezuela and Nicaragua. His literary contributions include several books and his position as editor of "New York Age." From 1920-1931 Johnson was field secretary, then secretary, of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1930 he became chair of Creative Literature and Writing at Fisk University. The James Weldon Johnson collection consists primarily of programs honoring Johnson's numerous endeavors following his death in 1938, including those sponsored by the NAACP, Yale University Library, Virginia Union University and Hampton Institute. Two programs printed during his lifetime provide information about subjects for his lectures and work with students at Fisk University. News clippings discuss a marker erected in 1972 at the site of his home in Jacksonville, Florida. An obituary marks the passing of his widow Grace Nail Johnson in 1976, and two towels with their embroidered initials complete the collection.
Administrative information
Source of acquisition
Gift, Sondra Wilson, 04/03/2002Using the collection
Location
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor