Langston Hughes, a poet, activist, playwright, and novelist from Joplin, Missouri, was an aptly named “Leader” of the Harlem Renaissance. He lived from 1902 to 1967, and wrote “Harlem” in 1951.
“Harlem” by Langston Hughes is an iconic poem written in 1951, almost 20 years after the end of the harlem renaissance, but still exists one of the most popular pieces of literature about that time period. The poem describes “A dream deferred” and queries what would happen to one, but specifically for a certain group - African Americans. It references to the limitations of African Americans at the time, and how they, many times, had to very literally abandon, or defer, their dreams.
-Liam Novak
