James Weldon Johnson 
Book of American Negro Poetry [PDF ebook] 

The work of James Weldon Johnson (1871 – 1938) inspired and encouraged the artists of the Harlem Renaissance, a movement in which he himself was an important figure. Johnson was active in almost every aspect of American civil life and became one of the first African-American professors at New York University. He is best remembered for his writing, which questions, celebrates and commemorates his experience as an African-American.