James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) was an American writer, composer, university lecturer, lawyer, diplomat, and civil rights activist. As a leading member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), he advocated, among other causes, for an anti-lynching law. Together with his brother, John Rosamond Johnson, he wrote “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which became an important hymn of the African American civil rights movement. Johnson was a significant figure in the Harlem Renaissance and wrote poetry, essays, and an autobiography. His novel “Color – An American Life” was his only novel.