James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) was an African American writer, poet, diplomat, and civil rights leader. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, he became a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance and a leading voice for racial justice. With his brother J. Rosamond Johnson, he co-wrote “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (1900), later widely known as the Black national anthem. Johnson also wrote the novel *The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man* (1912) and influential poetry and essays. He served as a U.S. consul in Venezuela and Nicaragua and later became executive secretary of the NAACP, helping expand its national reach.