Color - Poems of Black America in the 1920s

Countee Cullen was born in 1903 in a time when Black poets were often not given much support or respect. It’s not even known exactly where Countee was born. We do know that when Countee was fifteen, he was taken in by the Reverend Frederick A. Cullen in Harlem, New York. The Reverend was extremely influential in Black politics and community-building, and he raised his adopted son with love and purpose. Cullen began winning poetry contests and graduated from high school with honors. He went to college, a fairly rare thing for a Black man of the time. He chose New York University. He won a series of poetry competitions and was published in national magazines. He went on to earn a master’s degree at Harvard. He published his first collection of poems, Color, in 1925. His dedication read: “To my Mother and Father / This First Book.” Note that, as Cullen is writing authentically about his Black experience, there is the use of terms many would find objectionable in modern times. Cullen was a key figure during the Harlem Renaissance and was well respected during his lifetime. He worked non-stop on a series of projects. He passed away in 1946 when he was only 42 from high blood pressure.