James Weldon Johnson
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James Weldon Johnson was an African American author, politician, diplomat, critic, journalist, poet, anthologist, educator, lawyer, songwriter and early civil rights activist. He was married to civil
Photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1932
Johnson lived here in the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., while serving as national organizer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Famously performed in the film Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), the song "Under the Bamboo Tree" was written by the Johnson brothers and Bob Cole for the Broadway show Sally in Our Alley (1902)
Aged around 30 at the time of this photo, Johnson had already written "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" and been admitted to the Florida bar.
Lynching of Ell Persons
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Ell Persons was a black man who was lynched on 22 May 1917, after he was accused of having raped and decapitated a 15-year-old white girl, Antoinette Rappel, in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. He w
Grave of Antoinette "Antonetty" Rappel - Forest Hill Cemetery Midtown Memphis, TN
A historical marker was dedicated near the site on the 100-year anniversary of the lynching.
Back side of Historical Marker near the site
NAACP Historical Marker near the site of the Ell Persons lynching