Gwendolyn B. Bennett (July 8, 1902 – May 30, 1981) was an American artist, writer, and journalist who contributed to '' Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life'', which chronicled cultural advancements during the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

. Though often overlooked, she herself made considerable accomplishments in art, poetry, and prose. She is perhaps best known for her short story "Wedding Day", which was published in the magazine ''

Fire!! ''Fire!!'' was an African-American literary magazine published in New York City in 1926 during the Harlem Renaissance. The publication was started by Wallace Thurman, Zora Neale Hurston, Aaron Douglas, John P. Davis, Richard Bruce Nugent, Gwen ...

'' and explores how gender, race, and class dynamics shape an interracial relationship. Bennett was a dedicated and self-preserving woman, respectfully known for being a strong influencer of African-American women rights during the Harlem Renaissance. Throughout her dedication and perseverance, Bennett raised the bar when it came to women's literature and education. One of her contributions to the Harlem Renaissance was her literary acclaimed short novel ''Poets Evening''; it helped the understanding within the African-American communities, resulting in many African Americans coming to terms with identifying and accepting themselves.

Early life and education

Gwendolyn Bennett Bennett was born July 8, 1902, in

Giddings, Texas Giddings is the county seat of Lee County, Texas, United States situated on the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and U.S. Route 290. Its population was 4,969 at the 2020 census. The city is in Lee county, named in honor of Confederate General Rob ...

, to Joshua Robbin Bennett and Mayme F. (Abernethy) Bennett. She spent her early childhood in

Wadsworth, Nevada Wadsworth is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washoe County, Nevada. The population was 834 at the time of the 2010 census. It is part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area and located entirely within the Pyramid Lake Indian R ...

, on the

Paiute Indian Reservation The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah is a federally recognized tribe of Southern Paiute and Ute Indians in southwestern Utah. Reservation The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah (PITU) has a reservation composed of ten separate parcels of land, located in fou ...

. Her parents taught in the

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Service for the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...

. In 1906, when Bennett was four years old, her family moved to 1454 T Street NW,

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

, so Joshua could study law at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

and Mayme could train to be a

beautician Cosmetology (from Greek , ''kosmētikos'', "beautifying"; and , ''-logia'') is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty include hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, non-permanent hair removal such as ...

. Gwendolyn's parents divorced when she was seven years old. Mayme gained custody of Gwendolyn; however, Joshua kidnapped his daughter. They lived in hiding, along with her stepmother, Marechal Neil, in various places in the East, including

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

, and

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, where she attended Brooklyn Girl's High School from 1918 to 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 dramatic 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, Bennett took art classes at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and the

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...

. In her undergraduate studies, her poem "Heritage" was published in ''

The Crisis ''The Crisis'' is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois (editor), Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Mi ...

'', magazine of the

NAACP 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.&nb ...

, during November 1923; in December of the same year, "Heritage" was included in ''

Opportunity Opportunity may refer to: Places * Opportunity, Montana, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Nebraska, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Washington, a former census-designated place, United States * 3 ...

'', a magazine published by the

National Urban League The National Urban League, formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for African Am ...

. In 1924, her poem "To Usward" was chosen as a dedication for the introduction of

Jessie Fauset Jessie Redmon Fauset (April 27, 1882 – April 30, 1961) was an African-American editor, poet, essayist, novelist, and educator. Her literary work helped sculpt African-American literature in the 1920s as she focused on portraying a true image ...

's novel ''There Is Confusion'' at a Civic Club dinner hosted by Charles S. Johnson. Bennett graduated from Columbia and Pratt in 1924 and received a position at

, where she taught design, watercolor painting and crafts. A scholarship enabling her to study in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

, was awarded to Bennett during December 1924. She then continued her

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

education at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

and the École du Panthéon in Paris. During her studies in Paris, Bennett worked with a variety of materials, including watercolor, oil,

woodcuts Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

, pen and ink, and

batik Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the whole cloth. This technique originated from the island of Java, Indonesia. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a ''ca ...

, which was the beginning of her career as a

graphic artist A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, p ...

. However, most of her pieces from this period of her life were destroyed during a fire at her stepmother's home in 1926.

Harlem

Bennett was a prominent figure and best known for the poetry and writing she produced that had a direct influential impact on the motives and essence of the

. Some ideologies that her works brought into perspective include the emphasis of

Racial pride A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

and the reminiscence of African values, such as

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

and

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

. One of her most influential poems, ''Fantasy'', not only emphasized the racial pride of African-Americans, but also for women in general by shining light on possibilities that may not have been necessarily attainable for women during this time period. When Bennett left Paris in 1926, she headed back to New York to become the assistant to the editor for ''Opportunity''. During her time at ''Opportunity'', she received the

Barnes Foundation The Barnes Foundation is an art collection and educational institution promoting the appreciation of art and horticulture. Originally in Merion, the art collection moved in 2012 to a new building on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Pen ...

fellowship for her work in graphic design and the fine arts. Her artwork was also used for ''Crisis'' and ''Opportunity'' covers with themes that included diverse races, ages, classes, and/or genders allowing Bennett to display of the beauty in diversity. Later, during the same year, she returned to Howard University once again to teach fine arts. While assistant to the editor at ''Opportunity'' she published articles discussing topics involving literature and the fine arts, and her column titled "The Ebony Flute" (1926–28)"Gwendolyn Bennett"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. distributed news about the many creative thinkers involved with the Harlem Renaissance. In 1926, she was also a co-founder and editor of the short-lived literary journal ''

''"Fire!!!"
''Encyclopedia Britannica''. Retrieved October 18, 2018. Conceived by

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

and Richard Nugent, Bennett served as an editor for the single edition of ''

'', along with

Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South and published research on Hoodoo (spirituality), hoodoo. The most ...

, John Davis, and Aaron Douglas. The failed publication is now reportedly regarded in some circles as a key cultural moment of the Harlem Renaissance. Finding inspiration through William Rose Bennet's poem "Harlem", she founded and named her self-proclaimed literary column "The Ebony Flute", another way in which Bennett was able to impact the Harlem Renaissance. "The Ebony Flute" was another contribution that Bennett gave to the Harlem Renaissance, as she emphasized

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

culture and social life. To keep updated with news, Bennett counted on her network contacts to foster the thriving and diverse environment that the Harlem Renaissance had to offer. Bennett found ways to influence and contribute to her community without even publishing her own assemblage of poetic and literary works. Along with her emphasis on

racial pride A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

and her literary column, "The Ebony Flute", Bennett also shared a romantic vision of being African through romantic lyric. One way she expressed and shared this vision was through "To a Dark Girl", one of her more famous works of poetry. Creating an empowering aspect to African-American women features, Bennett's imagery and comparisons to queens are used to influence African-American women in embracing their blackness. Bennett admired African-American artists and they made her feel proud to be part of that community, despite experiencing judgement from whites in the past. Although homosexuality was heavily criticized at the time, it had become common for both homosexual and straight female poets to write of lesbianism, and this included Bennett. Female, African-American poets had never before written about this topic, and even though it was considered taboo then, she and many other poets inspired other women to follow in their footsteps several years later. Harlem Circles, created by Bennett, were intended to be a place for writers to gather, share ideas, and spark inspiration. Over a period of eight years, some of the most famous Harlem Renaissance figures, such as

Wallace Thurman Wallace Henry Thurman (August 16, 1902 – December 22, 1934) was an American novelist active during the Harlem Renaissance. He also wrote essays, worked as an editor, and was a publisher of short-lived newspapers and literary journals. He is bes ...

and

met up in these groups and produced significant works as a result.

Criticism

Her work during this period of her life was praised by her fellow writers in Harlem. The playwright

Theodore Ward James Theodore Ward (September 15, 1902 – May 8, 1983) was a leftist political playwright and theatre educator during the first half of the 20th century and one of the earliest contributors to the Black Chicago Renaissance. Often referred ...

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 John Mason Brewer (March 24, 1896 – January 24, 1975) was an American folklorist, scholar, and writer noted for his work on African-American folklore in Texas. He studied at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, and Indiana University, while he ...

, an African-American

folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

and storyteller, called Bennett a "nationally known artist and poetess." Since Brewer was also a native Texan, he further stated that as a result of Bennett's

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

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." Activist and author

James Weldon Johnson James Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871June 26, 1938) was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was married to civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson. Johnson was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peop ...

described Bennett's work as "delicate" and "poignant". This was an opportune time for female poets as many of them were not only taken seriously by peers and those in their community, but were also successful. Receiving such positive criticism from other members of the Harlem Renaissance helped Bennett gain recognition.

Later life and Harlem influence

After marrying Dr. Albert Joseph Jackson in 1927, Bennett resigned from

as the school's administration disapproved of their relationship. That same year, the couple moved to

Eustis, Florida Eustis is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 23,189 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Eustis High School is the town's local public high scho ...

. Her time in Florida had a negative impact on her work as it was too far from Harlem to promptly receive news for her to write about in her column for ''Opportunity''. Due to the racism they encountered and their town's financial problems, they remained in Florida for only three years and moved to

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

in 1930. Bennett began to write more frequently after working with the Federal Writers Project and Federal Art Project. After losing their home in Long Island, Jackson died in 1936, and Bennett moved back to New York. In 1940, she married educator and writer Richard Crosscup, who was of European ancestry. Their

interracial marriage Interracial marriage is a marriage involving spouses who belong to different races or racialized ethnicities. In the past, such marriages were outlawed in the United States, Nazi Germany and apartheid-era South Africa as miscegenation. In 19 ...

was not socially acceptable at Bennett's time. Harlem remained Bennett's passion, however, and during the late 1930s and the 1940s she remained in the arts. She served as a member of the

Harlem Artists Guild The Harlem Artists Guild (1935–41) was an African-American organization founded by artists including Augusta Savage, Charles Alston, Elba Lightfoot, Louise E. Jefferson and bibliophile Arthur Schomburg with the aims of encouraging young talent, ...

in 1935, and the

Harlem Community Art Center The Harlem Community Art Center was a Federal Art Project community art center that operated from 1937 to 1942. It influenced various budding artists intent on depicting Harlem and led to the formation of the Harlem Arts Alliance. It became a coun ...

was under her leadership from 1939 to 1944. During this time, she was active on the board of the Negro Playwright's Guild and involved with the development of the George Washington Carver Community School. In 1941, the FBI continuously investigated Bennett on suspicion that she was a Communist and continued to do so on and off until 1959 despite no conclusive or evidential findings. However, this experience caused her to remove herself from the public eye and she began working as a secretary for the

Consumers Union A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. T ...

. Bennett retired in 1968 and moved with her husband, Richard Crosscup, to

Kutztown, Pennsylvania Kutztown ( Pennsylvania German: ''Kutzeschteddel'') is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located southwest of Allentown and northeast of Reading. As of the 2010 census, the borough had a population of 5,012. Kutztown ...

, where they opened an

antiques shop An antique shop (or antiques shop) is a retail store specializing in the selling of antiques. Antiques shops can be located either locally or, with the advent of the Internet, found online. An antiques shop can also be located within an anti ...

called Buttonwood Hollow Antiques.

Death

In 1980, Crosscup died of heart failure, and Bennett herself died from cardiovascular complications on May 30, 1981, aged 78, at

Reading Hospital The Reading Hospital is a 738-bed non-profit teaching hospital located in the borough of West Reading, in the US state of Pennsylvania. The hospital was established in 1867 and is a part of Tower Health System. The hospital is a certified stroke c ...

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

, Pennsylvania.

Successes in poetry

Throughout her life, Bennett attained success in different fields of work. She was a poet, short-story writer, columnist, journalist, illustrator, graphic artist, arts educator, teacher and administrator on the New York City Works Progress Administration Federal Arts Project (1935–41). Bennett's poems appeared in journals published during the Harlem Renaissance: ''The Crisis'', ''Opportunity'',

William Stanley Braithwaite William Stanley Beaumont Braithwaite (December 6, 1878 – June 8, 1962) was an African-American writer, poet, literary critic, anthologist, and publisher. His work as a critic and anthologist was widely praised and important in the development of ...

's ''Anthology of Magazine Verse'' (1927), ''Yearbook of American Poetry'' (1927),

Countee Cullen Countee Cullen (born Countee LeRoy Porter; May 30, 1903 – January 9, 1946) was an American poet, novelist, children's writer, and playwright, particularly well known during the Harlem Renaissance. Early life Childhood Countee LeRoy Porter ...

's ''

Caroling Dusk ''Caroling Dusk: An Anthology of Verse by Black Poets of the Twenties: Anthology of Black Verse'' is a 1927 poetry anthology that was edited by Countee Cullen. It has been republished at least three times, in 1955, 1974, and 1995 and included work ...

'' (1927), and James Weldon Johnson's ''

The Book of American Negro Poetry ''The Book of American Negro Poetry'' is a 1922 poetry anthology that was compiled by James Weldon Johnson. The first edition, published in 1922, was "the first of its kind ever published" and included the works of thirty-one poets. A second editio ...

'' (1931).

Bibliography

Short stories

* 1926 – "Wedding Day", ''Fire!!'' * 1927 – "Tokens", ''Ebony'' & ''Topaz''

Non-fiction

* 1926–28 — "The Ebony Flute" (column), ''Opportunity'' * 1924 — "The Future of the Negro in Art", ''Howard University Record'' (December) * 1925 — "Negros: Inherent Craftsmen", ''Howard University Record'' (February) * 1928 — "The American Negro Paints", ''Southern Workman'' (January) * 1934 — "I go to Camp", ''Opportunity'' (August) * 1934 — "Never the Twain Must Meet", ''Opportunity'' (March) * 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'' (December) * 1923 — "Nocturne", ''Crisis'' (November) * 1924 — "To Usward", ''Crisis'' (May) and ''Opportunity'' (May) * 1924 — "Wind", ''Opportunity'' (November) * 1925 — "On a Birthday", ''Opportunity'' (September) * 1925 — "Pugation", ''Opportunity'' (February) * 1926 — "Song", ''Palms'' (October) * 1926 — "Street Lamps in Early Spring", ''Opportunity'' (May) * 1926 — "Lines Written At the Grave of Alexandre Dumas", ''Opportunity'' (July) * 1926 — "Moon Tonight", ''Gypsy'' (October) * 1926 — "Hatred", ''Opportunity'' (June) * 1926 — "Dear Things", ''Palms'' (October) * 1926 — "Dirge", ''Palms'' (October) Her work is featured in numerous anthologies of the period, including the following: *

's ''

'' (1924) *

Alain Locke Alain LeRoy Locke (September 13, 1885 – June 9, 1954) was an American writer, philosopher, educator, and patron of the arts. Distinguished in 1907 as the first African-American Rhodes Scholar, Locke became known as the philosophical architect ...

's ''

The New Negro ''The New Negro: An Interpretation'' (1925) 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 R ...

'' (1925) * William Braithwaite's '' Yearbook of American Poetry'' (1927)

Selected writings

* 2018 – Bennett, Gwendolyn. ''Heroine of the Harlem Renaissance: Gwendolyn Bennett's Selected Writings''. Edited by Belinda Wheeler and Louis J. Parascandola. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2018.

References

Sources

*https://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/bennett/life.htm *https://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/bennett/life.htm
Gwendolyn Bennett
at poets.org *From ''The Oxford Companion to African American Literature''. William L. Andrews, Frances Smith Foster, and Trudier Harris, eds. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Copyright © 1997 by Oxford University Press *Poets.org Academy of American Poets, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038

External links

Houghton Mifflin's Gwendolyn B. BennettSee Gwendolyn B. Bennett's poetry
in J. Mason Brewer's ''Heralding Dawn: an Anthology of Verse'', published 1936 and hosted by th
Portal to Texas History
* FBI files on Gwendolyn Bennett * Gwendolyn Bennett Papers. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Gwendolyn B. 1902 births 1981 deaths 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century American poets 20th-century American women writers African-American poets African-American women writers American women poets Girls' High School alumni Harlem Renaissance People from Giddings, Texas Pratt Institute alumni

Early life and education

Harlem

Criticism

Later life and Harlem influence

Death

Successes in poetry

Bibliography

Short stories

Non-fiction

Poetry

Selected writings

References

Sources

Further reading

External links