Clara Ann Thompson (1869–1949) was an African-American poet, teacher and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

advocate. Thompson was born in Rossmoyne, Ohio. Thompson's parents, John Henry and Clara Jane Gray Thompson, were previously enslaved in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Thompson's most notable collection of poetry was "''Songs from the Wayside''" (1908). Thompson's "''A Garland of Poems"'' (1926) was her second collection. Some of her poems appeared in "''An Anthology of Verse by American Negroes''" (1924).

Life

Thompson spent most of her life in Rossmoyne, although she did some teaching outside of her hometown. She did not marry, but lived most of her life with two of her siblings, Priscilla Jane Thompson and Garland Yancey Thompson. Clara Ann Thompson died on March 18, 1959, due to a cerebral hemorrhage in her hometown of Rossmoyne, Ohio. Thompson is buried alongside her family, but does not have a known grave location.

Activism

Thompson was active in the

Young Women's Christian Association The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

(YWCA) and her local church, Zion Baptist. She was also a member of the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...

(NAACP), and an advocate for African American civil rights. Whenever the NAACP chapter in Cincinnati first began, both Priscilla and Clara joined to promote civil rights. Thompson was inspired by the activism in this group to write more race-related poetry, such as “What Mean This Bleating of the Sheep?”. This poem was recited in Cincinnati and Indianapolis churches, sometimes standing beside her brother, Aaron Belford. Thompson was introduced to

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

and

James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...

while in Indeanapolis. Through this organization and meetings with other NAACP members, the Thompson family had a direct influence in the Harlem Renaissance and on

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Because of the popularity of Thompson's poem, she copyrighted it in 1921 into a pamphlet that she could publish at any time.

Works

"Songs from the Wayside"

Thompson used her own printing press to publish this collection of work. Her first poetry collection, with 35 poems, is particularly religious and uses Christian language. Thompson also uses "dialect language", or

black vernacular English African-American Vernacular English (AAVE, ), also referred to as Black (Vernacular) English, Black English Vernacular, or occasionally Ebonics (a colloquial, Ebonics (word)#Common usage and controversy, controversial term), is the variety (lin ...

. The content of this poetry collection includes "“meditations on spirituality, black folk wisdom, and nature.” Thompson dedicated this poetry collection to her siblings Garland and Priscilla, and she dedicated the first poem in this collection to her deceased brother, Samuel. Thompson.

"A Garland of Poems"

Thompson published her second collection of poetry, "A Garland of Poems", with a publishing company in Boston called the Christopher Publishing House in 1926. This poetry collection was singularly dedicated to Garland Yancey, saying "in recognition of his unfailing Kindness and Affection". While Thompson was finding herself more comfortable with her religious self, her previous race-related works started to diminish. This was during the World Wars, so this collection of poems was meant to find comfort and guidance during these troubling times.

Citations

Bibliography

* Bolden, Tonya. “Digital Schomburg African American Women Writers of the 19th Century.” AAWW Biographies, The New York Public Library, 2000, digital.nypl.org/schomburg/writers_aa19/bio2.html. * Parascandola, Louis J., and Camille E. Beazer. “Thompson, Priscilla Jane (1871-1942), Poet and Lecturer.” American National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2020, www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1602883. * Thompson, Clara Ann. “‘Songs from the Wayside," by Clara Ann Thompson (1908).” Women of the Early Harlem Renaissance: African American Women Writers 1900–1922, Scalar, 7 Nov. 2018, scalar.lehigh.edu/harlemwomen/songs-from-the-wayside-by-clara-ann-thompson-1908. *Queensofcincy. “Clara Ann Thompson.” ''Queens of Queen City'', Queens of Queen City, 4 Feb. 2019, queensofqueencity.com/2019/02/04/clara-ann-thompson/. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Clara Ann 1869 births 1959 deaths African-American poets 19th-century American poets 20th-century American poets Poets from Ohio American women poets NAACP activists People from Hamilton County, Ohio 20th-century American women writers 19th-century American women 20th-century African-American women writers 20th-century African-American writers