Gwendolyn B. Bennett
Encyclopedia
Gwendolyn B. Bennett was an African American
writer who contributed to Opportunity, which chronicled cultural advancements in Harlem
. Though often overlooked, she herself made considerable accomplishments in poetry and prose. She is perhaps best known for her short story, Wedding Day, which was published in the first issue of Fire!!
.
to Joshua and Maime Bennett. She spent her early childhood in Wadsworth, Nevada
on the Paiute Indian Reservation. Her parents taught in the Indian
Service for the Bureau of Indian Affairs
. In 1906, when Bennett was four years old, her family moved to 1454 T Street Northwest, Washington D.C., so Joshua could study law and Maime could train to be a beautician. The move eventually led to her parents' divorce when Bennett was seven years old. Maime gained custody of Bennett, however her father kidnapped her and they lived in hiding, along with her stepmother, Marechal Neil, along the East Coast and Pennsylvania. Her father eventually took them to New York where she attended Brooklyn's Girls' High from 1918 till 1921. While attending Girls' High, Bennett was awarded first place in a school wide art contest, and was the first African American to join the literary and drama
societies. She wrote her high school play and was also featured as an actress. She also wrote both the class graduation speech and the words to the graduation song.
After her graduation in 1921, she began to take art classes at Columbia University
and the Pratt Institute
. In her undergraduate studies, Bennett's poem "Heritage" was published in Crisis in November, 1923 and also in December of the same year, her poem Heritage was included in Opportunity, a magazine published by the National Urban League
. She graduated from both institutes in 1924 and in June of that year, started teaching design
, watercolor and crafts at Howard University
. A scholarship enabling her to study abroad in Paris
, at Sorbonne
, was awarded to Bennett during December, 1924 Bennett then continued her fine arts education at Academic Julian and Ecole du Pantheon in Paris. During her studies in Paris, She worked with a variety of materials, including watercolor, oil
, woodcut
s, pen
and ink
, and batik
which was the beginning of her career as a graphic artist. However, most of her pieces from this period of her life were destroyed during a fire at her stepmother's home in 1926.
When Bennett left Paris in 1926, she headed back to New York to become the assistant to the editor for Opportunity. During her time employed at Opportunity, she received the Barnes Foundation fellowship for her work. Later during the same year she returned to Howard University once again to teach fine arts. She remained the assistant to the editor at Opportunity and was given the chance to publish her own article to discuss literary and fine arts. She titled her column The Ebony Flute and used it to distribute news about the many creative thinkers that were involved with the Harlem Renaissance
. In 1926, She was also a co-founder of the literary journal Fire!!
. She reviewed many writers' works and gave criticism on a regular basis through Opportunity and Fire!!
, recognition of African music and dance
were common themes in Bennett's works.
Her column, The Ebony Flute, was Bennett's link to the Harlem cultural and social
life. She used it to her advantage to network with other poets and to spread the news of the Renaissance
. She would feature other writers' work and discuss them in her column. Although Bennett never published a collection of her own works and poetry
, she was a strong influence on the Harlem Renaissance by giving the African American community racial pride. She also created a romantic vision of being African through romantic
lyric
.
, Countee Cullen
, Eric Walrond, Helene Johnson
, Wallace Thurman
, Richard Bruce Nugent
, Aaron Douglas
, Alta Douglass, Rudolph Fisher
and Zora Neale Hurston. The group was designed to motivate these young writers to support and encourage each other and were also, in turn, encouraged to aspire to the levels of more established scholars such as Charles S. Johnson
, Alain Locke, W. E. B. Du Bois, Jessie Fauset, and James Weldon Johnson
. Bennett said in a 1979 interview that, "nothing like this particular life in which you saw the same group of people over and over again. You were always glad to see them. You always had an exciting time when you were with them." This Harlem circle that Gwendolyn developed helped her sustain her steady connection with the Renaissance in New York
throughout a period of her life.
declared that Bennett's work was one of the "most promising of the poets out of the Harlem Renaissance" and also called Bennett a "dynamic figure... noted for her depth and understanding." J. Mason Brewer, an African American storyteller, called Bennett a "nationally known artist and poetess." Since Mason was also a native Texan, he further stated that as a result of Bennett's Texas
birthplace, "Texans
feel that they have a claim on her and that the beautiful and poignant lyrics she writes resulted partially from the impression of her early Texas surroundings". Bennett was a breath of Texan airs breezing through the halls of the Harlem Renaissance.
, Florida
. Jackson died in 1936 and Bennett moved back to New York. In 1940, Bennett became involved in an interracial marriage with Richard Crosscup which was not socially acceptable at Bennett's time. Harlem was Bennett's passion however and during the late 1930s and the 1940s she remained in the arts and also served as a member of the Harlem Artists Guild in 1935. The Harlem Community Arts Center was under her leadership from 1939 to 1944. During this time, Bennett was also active on the board of the Negro Playwright's Guild and involved with the development of the George Washington Carver Community School.
Bennett faded from the public eye during the late-1940s but she remained close to the hub of busy Harlem in New York and her fellow writers. She began working for the Consumers Union
during the later years of her life. Her retirement occurred in 1968 and moved with her husband, Crosscup, to Kutztown, Pennsylvania
where they opened an antique shop
. Her husband died in 1980, due to heart failure, and Bennett died on May 30, 1981 at the Reading County Hospital.
Her work is featured in numerous anthologies of the period, including the following:
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
writer who contributed to Opportunity, which chronicled cultural advancements in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. Though often overlooked, she herself made considerable accomplishments in poetry and prose. She is perhaps best known for her short story, Wedding Day, which was published in the first issue of Fire!!
Fire!!
Fire!! was an African American literary magazine published in 1926 during the Harlem Renaissance. The publication was started by Wallace Thurman, Zora Neale Hurston, Aaron Douglas, John P...
.
Early life and work
Gwendolyn B. Bennett was born July 8, 1902 in Giddings, TexasGiddings, Texas
Giddings is the county seat of Lee County, Texas, United States situated on the intersection of U.S. Highways 77 and 290, east of Austin. Its population was 5,105 at the 2000 census. The city's motto is "Giddings Texas: Experience Hometown Hospitality"....
to Joshua and Maime Bennett. She spent her early childhood in Wadsworth, Nevada
Wadsworth, Nevada
Wadsworth is a census-designated place in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The population was 881 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was named for General James S. Wadsworth, a Civil War general killed at the battle of the...
on the Paiute Indian Reservation. Her parents taught in the Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
Service for the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
. In 1906, when Bennett was four years old, her family moved to 1454 T Street Northwest, Washington D.C., so Joshua could study law and Maime could train to be a beautician. The move eventually led to her parents' divorce when Bennett was seven years old. Maime gained custody of Bennett, however her father kidnapped her and they lived in hiding, along with her stepmother, Marechal Neil, along the East Coast and Pennsylvania. Her father eventually took them to New York where she attended Brooklyn's Girls' High from 1918 till 1921. While attending Girls' High, Bennett was awarded first place in a school wide art contest, and was the first African American to join the literary and drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
societies. She wrote her high school play and was also featured as an actress. She also wrote both the class graduation speech and the words to the graduation song.
After her graduation in 1921, she began to take art classes at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and the Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
. In her undergraduate studies, Bennett's poem "Heritage" was published in Crisis in November, 1923 and also in December of the same year, her poem Heritage was included in Opportunity, a magazine published by the National Urban League
National Urban League
The National Urban League , formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. It is the oldest and largest...
. She graduated from both institutes in 1924 and in June of that year, started teaching design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
, watercolor and crafts at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
. A scholarship enabling her to study abroad in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, at Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, was awarded to Bennett during December, 1924 Bennett then continued her fine arts education at Academic Julian and Ecole du Pantheon in Paris. During her studies in Paris, She worked with a variety of materials, including watercolor, oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
, woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s, pen
Pen
A pen is a device used to apply ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Historically, reed pens, quill pens, and dip pens were used, with a nib of some sort to be dipped in the ink. Ruling pens allow precise adjustment of line width, and still find a few specialized uses, but...
and ink
Ink
Ink is a liquid or paste that contains pigments and/or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing and/or writing with a pen, brush, or quill...
, and batik
Batik
Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. Batik or fabrics with the traditional batik patterns are found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, China, Azerbaijan, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, and Singapore.Javanese traditional batik, especially from...
which was the beginning of her career as a graphic artist. However, most of her pieces from this period of her life were destroyed during a fire at her stepmother's home in 1926.
When Bennett left Paris in 1926, she headed back to New York to become the assistant to the editor for Opportunity. During her time employed at Opportunity, she received the Barnes Foundation fellowship for her work. Later during the same year she returned to Howard University once again to teach fine arts. She remained the assistant to the editor at Opportunity and was given the chance to publish her own article to discuss literary and fine arts. She titled her column The Ebony Flute and used it to distribute news about the many creative thinkers that were involved with 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...
. In 1926, She was also a co-founder of the literary journal Fire!!
Fire!!
Fire!! was an African American literary magazine published in 1926 during the Harlem Renaissance. The publication was started by Wallace Thurman, Zora Neale Hurston, Aaron Douglas, John P...
. She reviewed many writers' works and gave criticism on a regular basis through Opportunity and Fire!!
Harlem
Gwendolyn B. Bennett was one of the prominent figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Her heritage is a main theme in her poetry. Her works reflected the shared themes and motifs of the Harlem Renaissance. Racial pride, rediscovery of AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, recognition of African music and dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
were common themes in Bennett's works.
Her column, The Ebony Flute, was Bennett's link to the Harlem cultural and social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
life. She used it to her advantage to network with other poets and to spread the news of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
. She would feature other writers' work and discuss them in her column. Although Bennett never published a collection of her own works and poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, she was a strong influence on the Harlem Renaissance by giving the African American community racial pride. She also created a romantic vision of being African through romantic
Romantic poetry
Romanticism, a philosophical, literary, artistic and cultural era which began in the mid/late-1700s as a reaction against the prevailing Enlightenment ideals of the day , also influenced poetry...
lyric
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
.
Harlem Circles
During 1923 to 1931, Bennett started a support group that provided a warm, supportive place for the young writers of Harlem that provided sustained association with their peers. Included in this group were Langston HughesLangston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
, Countee Cullen
Countee Cullen
Countee Cullen was an American poet who was popular during the Harlem Renaissance.- Biography :Cullen was an American poet and a leading figure with Langston Hughes in the Harlem Renaissance. This 1920s artistic movement produced the first large body of work in the United States written by African...
, Eric Walrond, Helene Johnson
Helene Johnson
Helen Johnson, who was better known as Helene Johnson was an African American poet during the Harlem Renaissance. She was also a cousin of author Dorothy West.She spent her early years at her grandfather’s house in Boston...
, Wallace Thurman
Wallace Thurman
Wallace Henry Thurman was an American novelist during the Harlem Renaissance. He is best known for his novel The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life, which explores discrimination among black people based on skin color.-Early life:...
, Richard Bruce Nugent
Richard Bruce Nugent
Richard Bruce Nugent , aka Richard Bruce and Bruce Nugent, was a writer and painter in the Harlem Renaissance.-Biography:...
, Aaron Douglas
Aaron Douglas
Aaron Douglas was an African American painter and a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance.-Early life:...
, Alta Douglass, Rudolph Fisher
Rudolph Fisher
Rudolph Fisher was an African-American physician, radiologist, novelist, short story writer, dramatist, musician, and orator. Fisher's parents were John Wesley Fisher, a clergyman, and Glendora Williamson. Fisher had three children.His first published work, "City of Refuge", appeared in the...
and Zora Neale Hurston. The group was designed to motivate these young writers to support and encourage each other and were also, in turn, encouraged to aspire to the levels of more established scholars such as Charles S. Johnson
Charles S. Johnson
Charles Spurgeon Johnson was an American sociologist, first black president of historically black Fisk University, and a lifelong advocate for racial equality and the advancement of civil rights for African Americans and all other ethnic minorities...
, Alain Locke, W. E. B. Du Bois, Jessie Fauset, and James Weldon Johnson
James Weldon Johnson
James Weldon Johnson was an American author, politician, diplomat, critic, journalist, poet, anthologist, educator, lawyer, songwriter, and early civil rights activist. Johnson is remembered best for his leadership within the NAACP, as well as for his writing, which includes novels, poems, and...
. Bennett said in a 1979 interview that, "nothing like this particular life in which you saw the same group of people over and over again. You were always glad to see them. You always had an exciting time when you were with them." This Harlem circle that Gwendolyn developed helped her sustain her steady connection with the Renaissance in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
throughout a period of her life.
Criticism
Her work during this period of her life was praised by her fellow writers in Harlem. The playwright Theodore WardTheodore Ward
Theodore Ward was a leading African-American playwright of the first half of the 20th century.-Biography:Ward was the sixth out of eleven children. A prolific writer, Ward wrote over thirty plays...
declared that Bennett's work was one of the "most promising of the poets out of the Harlem Renaissance" and also called Bennett a "dynamic figure... noted for her depth and understanding." J. Mason Brewer, an African American storyteller, called Bennett a "nationally known artist and poetess." Since Mason was also a native Texan, he further stated that as a result of Bennett's Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
birthplace, "Texans
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
feel that they have a claim on her and that the beautiful and poignant lyrics she writes resulted partially from the impression of her early Texas surroundings". Bennett was a breath of Texan airs breezing through the halls of the Harlem Renaissance.
Later life and Harlem influence
Bennett moved farther away from Harlem when she married Dr. AlBert Joseph Jackson in 1927 and moved to EustisEustis
-People:*Abraham Eustis, American Army officer and lawyer*Charles Eustis Bohlen , American ambassador*Dorothy Harrison Eustis, dog breeder and philanthropist*George Eustis Jr...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Jackson died in 1936 and Bennett moved back to New York. In 1940, Bennett became involved in an interracial marriage with Richard Crosscup which was not socially acceptable at Bennett's time. Harlem was Bennett's passion however and during the late 1930s and the 1940s she remained in the arts and also served as a member of the Harlem Artists Guild in 1935. The Harlem Community Arts Center was under her leadership from 1939 to 1944. During this time, Bennett was also active on the board of the Negro Playwright's Guild and involved with the development of the George Washington Carver Community School.
Bennett faded from the public eye during the late-1940s but she remained close to the hub of busy Harlem in New York and her fellow writers. She began working for the Consumers Union
Consumers Union
Consumers Union is a non-profit organization best known as the publisher of Consumer Reports, based in the United States. Its mission is to "test products, inform the public, and protect consumers."...
during the later years of her life. Her retirement occurred in 1968 and moved with her husband, Crosscup, to Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
where they opened an antique shop
Antique shop
An antique shop is a retail store specializing in the selling of antiques. Antiques shops can be located either locally and with the advent of the Internet found online...
. Her husband died in 1980, due to heart failure, and Bennett died on May 30, 1981 at the Reading County Hospital.
Short stories
- 1926 — Wedding Day Fire!!
- 1927 — Tokens Ebony & Topaz
Non-fiction
- 1926-1928 — "The Ebony Flute" (column) Opportunity
- 1924 — "The Future of the Negro in Art" Howard University Record (Dec)
- 1925 — "Negros: Inherent Craftsmen" Howard University Record (Feb)
- 1928 — "The American Negro Paints" Southern Workman (Jan)
- 1934 — "I go to Camp" Opportunity (Aug)
- 1934 — "Never the Twain Must Meet" Opportunity (Mar)
- 1935 — "Rounding the Century: Story of the Colored Orphan Asylum & Association for the Benefit of Colored Children in New York City" Crisis (June)
- 1937 — "The Harlem Artists Guild" Art Front (May)
Poetry
- 1923 — "Heritage" Opportunity (Dec)
- 1923 — "Nocturne" Crisis (Nov)
- 1924 — "To Usward" Crisis (May) and Opportunity (May)
- 1924 — "Wind" Opportunity (Nov)
- 1925 — "On a Birthday" Opportunity (Sept)
- 1925 — "Pugation" Opportunity (Feb)
- 1926 — "Song" Palms (Oct)
- 1926 — "Street Lamps in Early Spring" Opportunity (May)
- 1926 — "Lines Written At the Grave of Alexandre Dumas" Opportunity (July)
- 1926 — "Moon Tonight" Gypsy (Oct)
- 1926 — "Hatred" Opportunity (June)
- 1926 — "Dear Things" Palms (Oct)
- 1926 — "Dirge" Palms (Oct)
- 1934 — "Epitaph" Opportunity (Mar)
Her work is featured in numerous anthologies of the period, including the following:
- Countee CullenCountee CullenCountee Cullen was an American poet who was popular during the Harlem Renaissance.- Biography :Cullen was an American poet and a leading figure with Langston Hughes in the Harlem Renaissance. This 1920s artistic movement produced the first large body of work in the United States written by African...
's Caroling Dusk (1924) - Alain Locke's The New NegroThe New NegroThe New Negro: An Interpretation is an anthology of fiction, poetry, and essays on African and African American art and literature edited by Alain Locke, who lived in Washington, DC and taught at Howard University during the Harlem Renaissance...
(1925) - William Braithwaite's Yearbook of American Poetry (1927)
External links
- Houghton Mifflin's Gwendolyn B. Bennett
- See Gwendolyn B. Bennett's poetry in J. Mason Brewer's Heralding Dawn: an Anthology of Verse, published 1936 and hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- Modern American Poetry
- Heath Anthology of American Literature
- The Black Renaissance in Washington
- A Biographical Sketch of Gwendolyn B Bennett