The Advance

Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Entertainment

February is Black History month. Of course you have heard of the well-known Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement, as well as Rosa Parks and the segregation of color on the bus.
However, you probably have not been familiarized with some of the residents of Kansas. People such as musicians, writers, teachers and more have been a major influence as people of color.
In the 20th century, black Kansans have left inevitable marks on American culture, including the writings of Langston Hughes.
He was one of the best-known poets who left a legacy which he vividly describes his experiences and emotions of African Americans in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
James Langston Mercer Hughes, born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri spent most of his childhood with his mother and grandmother in Topeka. Growing up, he experienced racism because he was considered African American but his ancestry showed him being Native American as well.
When his mother enrolled him in school, she was told that the school for her son, being black, was not where she wanted to send him and so she persisted. She took the matter to the school board and they allowed him to attend the school he wanted. Langston recalled being bullied and defended at school because of segregation. His grandmother taught him to him to be courageous and fight for his beliefs; she taught him to judge a man not by the color of his skin, but by his actions.
Because of segregation, he read often and wrote poetry; one of his first poems was "A Negro Speaks of Rivers," was published in 'Crisis" magazine when he was 19.
He moved to New York to work on his writing where he published "Not without Laughter" in 1930. He became a voice for African Americans through his common language and simple ways. "A common search for a better life and a better rule is deeper than color or blood" captured the essence of the life of Gordon Parks. Born near Fort Scott in 1912, he was the youngest of 15 children in his poor African American family.
He moved to Minnesota and worked a series of jobs where he saw a picture on a magazine and bought a camera from a pawn shop.
Within a month, he presented his first art exhibit at an Eastman-Kodak store where he became a successful fashion and portrait photographer. He later published "The Learning Tree" which he later adopted to the movie screen. He is also known for his film "Shaft."
Charles Parker is known for the alto saxophone he plays magnificently. The day the alto sax was placed in his hands; there was a new invention to be made. His musical endeavors grew and he invented the jazz sound we know today as b-bop, or just bop. He found a place in Kansas City jazz where they called him bird, or just genius. He became known as one of the most creative musicians in the history of jazz. Eva Jessye made contributions as a singer, actor, choral director, and poet. She is the first African American woman to win an international distinction for a choral group.
She directed the Eva Jessye Chorale and choir. She enjoys spirituals, work songs, mountain ballads, and rag-time jazz; although her favorite to perform is spiritual. She also enjoyed poetry which she considered another form of music.

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