Angelina Weld Grimke
Encyclopedia
Angelina Weld Grimké was an African-American journalist
, teacher, playwright and poet
who was part of the Harlem Renaissance and was one of the first African-American women to have a play performed.
was a lawyer, the second black man to have graduated from Harvard Law School
. He was appointed consul to the Dominican Republic
from 1894-1898. Her mother, Sarah Stanley, was a white woman from a Midwestern middle-class family, about whom information is scarce.
Grimké's parents met in Boston. Archibald Grimké had established a law practice there after completing law school. He and Sarah Stanley married but faced much opposition from her family, due to concerns over race. The marriage did not last very long. Not too long after Angelina's birth, Sarah left the family and took Angelina with her to the Midwest. After Sarah began a career of her own, she sent Angelina, then seven, back to Massachusetts to live with her father. Angelina Grimké would have little to no contact with her mother after that. Sarah Stanley committed suicide several years later.
Grimké's great aunts were the famous abolitionists, Sarah and Angelina Grimké. Her paternal grandfather was their brother Henry Grimké, of their large, slaveholding family based in Charleston, South Carolina
. Her paternal grandmother was Nancy Weston, an enslaved woman, with whom Henry became involved after becoming a widower. They lived together and had three sons: Archibald, Francis and John.
Her uncle, Francis J. Grimké
, graduated from Lincoln University, PA and Princeton Theological Seminary
and became a Presbyterian minister in Washington, DC. He married abolitionist and diarist Charlotte Forten
, of the prominent black abolitionist family from Philadelphia. Between 1894 and 1898, Angelina lived with her uncle and aunt in Washington, DC, while her father served as consul in the Dominican Republic. Grimké was also related to John Grimké Drayton of Magnolia Plantation.
Angelina Grimké attended the Boston Normal School of Gymnastics (now Wellesley College). After graduating, she moved to Washington, D.C. with her father. In 1902, she began teaching English at Armstrong Manual Training school. She then left this position in 1916 to teach at the legendary Dunbar High School, where one of her pupils was the poet/playwright May Miller.[2] In addition, she frequently took classes at Harvard University
during the summers.
Grimké wrote essays, short stories and poems which were published in The Crisis, Opportunity, The New Negro, Caroling Dusk, and Negro Poets and Their Poems. Some of her more famous poems include, "The Eyes of My Regret", "At April", and "Trees". She was an active writer and activist included among the figures of the Harlem Renaissance
. She counted as one of her friends during that time the poet Georgia Douglas Johnson
.
Grimké also wrote a play called Rachel, one of the first plays to protest lynching and racial violence. She wrote the three-act drama for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) to rally public support against the recently released film The Birth of a Nation. The play was produced in 1916 in Washington, D.C., performed by an all-black cast. It was published in 1920.
"Rachel" portrays the realities of life for an African American family in the north, in the early 20th Century. Centered on the family of the title character, each role mirrors the different reactions to the racial discrimination against blacks at the time. The themes of motherhood and the innocence of children are integral pieces of what Grimké was highlighting. The development of Rachel herself, revolves around her changing perception of what the role of a mother might be, based on her understanding of the importance of child-like naiveté towards the terrible truths of the world around them. Having the lynching act as the specter of the play, authenticates the African American experience and successfully countering the false narrative of Griffith's "The Closing Door".
The Dictionary of Literary Biography: African-American Writers Before the Harlem Renaissance, Vol. 50, 1986, states "In several poems and in her diaries Grimké expressed the frustration that her lesbianism created; thwarted longing is a theme in several poems" (151). Some of her unpublished poems are more explicitly lesbian, implying that she lived a life of suppression, "both personal and creative” (155).
After her father died, Grimké left Washington, DC, for New York, where she lived a reclusive life in Brooklyn
. She died in 1958.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, teacher, playwright and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
who was part of the Harlem Renaissance and was one of the first African-American women to have a play performed.
Biography
She was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1880 to a biracial family, whose ancestors included slaveholders, abolitionists, European-American slaves, and Midwesterners. Her father, Archibald GrimkéArchibald Grimke
Archibald Henry Grimké was an American lawyer, intellectual, journalist, diplomat and community leader in the 19th and early 20th century...
was a lawyer, the second black man to have graduated from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
. He was appointed consul to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
from 1894-1898. Her mother, Sarah Stanley, was a white woman from a Midwestern middle-class family, about whom information is scarce.
Grimké's parents met in Boston. Archibald Grimké had established a law practice there after completing law school. He and Sarah Stanley married but faced much opposition from her family, due to concerns over race. The marriage did not last very long. Not too long after Angelina's birth, Sarah left the family and took Angelina with her to the Midwest. After Sarah began a career of her own, she sent Angelina, then seven, back to Massachusetts to live with her father. Angelina Grimké would have little to no contact with her mother after that. Sarah Stanley committed suicide several years later.
Grimké's great aunts were the famous abolitionists, Sarah and Angelina Grimké. Her paternal grandfather was their brother Henry Grimké, of their large, slaveholding family based in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. Her paternal grandmother was Nancy Weston, an enslaved woman, with whom Henry became involved after becoming a widower. They lived together and had three sons: Archibald, Francis and John.
Her uncle, Francis J. Grimké
Francis J. Grimké
Francis James Grimké was a Presbyterian minister who was prominent in working for equal rights for African Americans...
, graduated from Lincoln University, PA and Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
and became a Presbyterian minister in Washington, DC. He married abolitionist and diarist Charlotte Forten
Charlotte Forten Grimké
Charlotte Louise Bridges Forten Grimké was an African-American anti-slavery activist, poet, and educator.-Biography:...
, of the prominent black abolitionist family from Philadelphia. Between 1894 and 1898, Angelina lived with her uncle and aunt in Washington, DC, while her father served as consul in the Dominican Republic. Grimké was also related to John Grimké Drayton of Magnolia Plantation.
Angelina Grimké attended the Boston Normal School of Gymnastics (now Wellesley College). After graduating, she moved to Washington, D.C. with her father. In 1902, she began teaching English at Armstrong Manual Training school. She then left this position in 1916 to teach at the legendary Dunbar High School, where one of her pupils was the poet/playwright May Miller.[2] In addition, she frequently took classes at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
during the summers.
Grimké wrote essays, short stories and poems which were published in The Crisis, Opportunity, The New Negro, Caroling Dusk, and Negro Poets and Their Poems. Some of her more famous poems include, "The Eyes of My Regret", "At April", and "Trees". She was an active writer and activist included among the figures of the Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
. She counted as one of her friends during that time the poet Georgia Douglas Johnson
Georgia Douglas Johnson
Georgia Blanche Douglas Camp Johnson better known as Georgia Douglas Johnson was an American poet and a member of the Harlem Renaissance.-Early life and education:...
.
Grimké also wrote a play called Rachel, one of the first plays to protest lynching and racial violence. She wrote the three-act drama for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
(NAACP) to rally public support against the recently released film The Birth of a Nation. The play was produced in 1916 in Washington, D.C., performed by an all-black cast. It was published in 1920.
"Rachel" portrays the realities of life for an African American family in the north, in the early 20th Century. Centered on the family of the title character, each role mirrors the different reactions to the racial discrimination against blacks at the time. The themes of motherhood and the innocence of children are integral pieces of what Grimké was highlighting. The development of Rachel herself, revolves around her changing perception of what the role of a mother might be, based on her understanding of the importance of child-like naiveté towards the terrible truths of the world around them. Having the lynching act as the specter of the play, authenticates the African American experience and successfully countering the false narrative of Griffith's "The Closing Door".
The Dictionary of Literary Biography: African-American Writers Before the Harlem Renaissance, Vol. 50, 1986, states "In several poems and in her diaries Grimké expressed the frustration that her lesbianism created; thwarted longing is a theme in several poems" (151). Some of her unpublished poems are more explicitly lesbian, implying that she lived a life of suppression, "both personal and creative” (155).
After her father died, Grimké left Washington, DC, for New York, where she lived a reclusive life in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. She died in 1958.