James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson 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 People (NAACP), where he started working in 1917. In 1920, he was chosen as executive secretary of the organization, effectively the operating officer. He served in that position from 1920 to 1930. Johnson established his reputation as a writer, and was known during the Harlem Renaissance for his poems, novel and anthologies collecting both poems and spirituals of Black culture. He wrote the lyrics for "Lift Every Voice and Sing", which later became known as the Black National Anthem, the music being written by his younger brother, composer J. Rosamond Johnson.

17 June 1871

Born on the same birth day (17 June): Adolphus Frederick VI • Alex (footballer, born June 1982) • Bobby Farrelly • George Hees • George Howard (British Army officer) • Georgios Tofas • Henry Lawson • Iain Milne • Ken Loach • Marek Svatoš • Mati Laur • Thomas Haden Church • William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse

Born in the same month (June 1871): Alajos Szokolyi • Hermanus Brockmann • Jacob Ellehammer • Stjepan Radić • William McDougall (psychologist)