Talk:Langston Hughes/Archive 2

God to a Hungry Child

I just removed the reference to Hughes from "Frederic Rzewski's song God to a Hungry Child (lyrics by Langston Hughes)" in Key signature, where it was irrelevant. It may be relevant here, though. Common Man 01:23, 19 January 2006 (UTC) Thick he is!

Vandalize

A short time ago, someone came onto the page and changed its font causing an administrator to come in and "rightly" correct the action. Unfortunately, the documented and correct information was deleted by complete accident in the process. I have resubmitted this information to its former place.

Please, some time ago, Wikipedia was applauded for the integrity of its articles because of the main fact that its sources are documented and those contributing to a specific article are knowledgeable in that field. To this I say, Congratulations, Wiki!!!TonyCrew 20:25, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

"Main biographer"

Who's the "main biographer" alluded to in "life"? I don't doubt the claim, but specifics would help. --Khazar 05:32, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Arnold Rampersad is the "main biographer" of Langston Hughes. Rampersad's research is the most exhaustive to date as he was given complete access to the Hughes papers by the late George Bass who was excutive of the Hughes estate along with Arna Bontemps, the best friend of Hughes from the Harlem Renaissanceand. Rampersad conducted the most indepth interviews with people who knew Hughes. The late Gilbert Price, who was also gay, was one such interview. Rampersad is now co-excutive of the Hughes estate.

Today, any research done on Hughes must be divided up into pre-Rampersad and post-Rampersad periods.

TonyCrew 19:02, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

For clarity, added Rampersad's name to the text to identify him as the "main biographer." I apologize for the delay.TonyCrew 18:27, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Plagiarism?

I haven't read the whole Wiki article or the whole poets.org article, but I did notice that this sentence: 

"Hughes, who claimed Paul Laurence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg, and Walt Whitman as his primary influences, is particularly known for his insightful, colorful portrayals of black life in America from the 1920s through the 1960s"

Was taken exactly from the poets.org article. I wouldn't think that this is an acceptable practice at Wikipedia, but I'm a little hesitant to edit it.

You're absolutely correct, edit away :) .:.Jareth.:. ^babelfish 15:56, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

(First post was by me on a school computer, by the way) OK, I kind of corrected the blantant plagiarism, but it is essentially still copied. I really just reworded the poets.org passage so that the information could still be kept in. -VetteDude 19:35, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

"African American poets" Sandburg and Whitman

Near the top of the CAREER section: "Hughes was influenced by other African American poets, namely Paul Laurence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg, and Walt Whitman."

Neither Sandburg nor Whitman was African American.

I was rewording the plagiarism and didn't take the time to distinguish between Dunbar being African American and the others not being so. I'm also not a big fan of poets, so I honestly didn't know that the others were white (should have looked it up on Wiki) :) -VetteDude 22:39, 2 February 2006 (UTC)

Prejudice has no place on Wiki

One again, someone of unknown origin had decided to come in and delete documented and accurate information. Wiki is not the place for such prejudice and prejudice of any kind. I have restored what was taken out. Please, whomever is doing this and other violations on Wiki, stop it. This act is unfair to the reliable and postive growing reputation of Wiki and those knowledgeable in a specific area.TonyCrew 19:06, 12 March 2006 (UTC)

Please stop this act of vandalism. To the individual who repeatedly does this please note, your internet address is being logged (64.107.183.156). Whether this is the same person using different addresses I do not know. Repeatedly, offensive language has been left ,and, documented information has been deleted.TonyCrew 20:14, 17 March 2006 (UTC)

Restored page after severe vandalism

After a case of very severe vandalism, I restored the article to its previous version to the best of my ability, barring minor corrections such as parts of speech from one contributor and a misidentification of Hughes as belonging to the Lost Generation of writers. Also, corrected small inaccuracy stating that Hughes was in the Navy. Hughes never joined the Navy. I hope I succeeded in returning the page to its former, but improved, condition. A check of the history will show this. Also, corrected repetitions in the article to tighten it up. Its contributors deserve better.

Honestly, I have never seen this page so vandalized.TonyCrew 05:47, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

I added the signature poem of Hughes, The Negro Speaks of Rivers. It was odd that this poem should not be included in an entry of Hughes. Moreover, I added two lines about Hughes and WWII. Left alone, the impression was being given that Hughes did not "ever" support the war, a major error. Hughes connected the war to the struggle for civil rights of African Americans in the states.TonyCrew 18:23, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

After vandelism

Much of the article suffered from repititions. I streamlined the article to avoid these faults. Chronological order was lacking and confusing. Added information about Hughes in the mid 50s and 60s before his death. In additon, corrected errors in facts.TonyCrew 13:13, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

Included info on Simple creation. Because Hughes only wrote two autobiograhies and a contributor included them non-specifically in the article, I thought it was best to identify them explicitly. I did not add the dates of these two autobiographies as they would slightly throw off the chronological dates. But, the dates are included in the Bibliography Section of the page.TonyCrew 17:02, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Add Smithsonian link?

Dear Editor,

I am a writer for the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Education and Museum Studies, which publishes Smithsonian in Your Classroom, a magazine for teachers. Our most recent issue, titled "The Music in Poetry," features Langston Hughes and his use of the blues. It is available for free download at this address:

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/resource_library/publications_siyc_spring2006.html

If you think your audience would find this issue valuable, I wish to invite you to include it under External Links. We would be most grateful.

Thank you so much for your attention. 160.111.254.11 22:04, 10 April 2006 (UTC) Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies, Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian link is valid and should be of great interest as Hughes incorporated blues patterns into his poetry. I added to External Links.TonyCrew 17:26, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Filling out the article

Added more information to round out Hughes involvement in the Harlem Renaissance with the conflict he and other writers faced to make their voices heard. Also, added his manifesto declaring independence from assimulationist propaganda of the black elite.Plus, I noticed that nowhere in the article was there mention of his travels in Caribbean and West Indies.TonyCrew 18:18, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

Severe vandalism

Again, the page succumb to vadanlism by user 66.99.52.130. I restored what was repeatedly pasted and deleted. TonyCrew 17:25, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

Also, added addtional poem to provide example of politcal writings of Hughes during his flirtation with Communisim, the poem A NEW SONG.TonyCrew 19:10, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

IP address of vandals

I have noticed that the acts of vandalism appear to come from similar/same ip addresses. In this case: 71.3.136.68 and 71.3.120.2 in history.

To the person(s) doing this, please stop. You are not contributing. You are engaging invandalizing other people hard work, people who are familiar on specific subjects in Wiki.TonyCrew 18:10, 28 April 2006 (UTC)

71.3.120.2 is being particularily aggressive. The user isn't contributing, but vandalizing. I am doing my best to keep up with this individual in this article.TonyCrew 19:26, 28 April 2006 (UTC)

References

I added another book to the Reference Section. And, put the book references in their proper order. Also, corrected error in the Bibliography where it had the Weary Blues (1926) being published in 1927. Fine Clothes to the Jew was published in 1927.TonyCrew 22:54, 28 April 2006 (UTC)

Correction of errors in biblo. AND inclusion of list of major works

The bibliography contained a few errors. It listed fiction as non-fiction. I created another section to correct the minor error. Moreover, Hughes body of work is tremendous and perhaps beyond the scope of what the entry requires. Therefore, I included only major works placed in the proper catagory. I included the date of publication,but not the publisher.TonyCrew 17:15, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

Added the full name of father of Hughes: JAMES NATHANIEL HUGHESTonyCrew 17:32, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

Added MULE BONE to list of major plays by Hughes. MULE BONE was conceived by Hurton and Hughes. An arguement caused the two to stop collaborating with one another on the play.TonyCrew 22:59, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

Added photo

Added photograph of the first book by Hughes, The Weary Blues. The cover designed was by Miguel Covarrubias who I think (?) may have been introduced to Hughes by Carl Van Vechten.TonyCrew 21:29, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

Added photograph by Gordon Parks done for the U.S. Gov't. in 1943.TonyCrew 08:22, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

Addition

I added quote from Langston Hughes given toward the end of his life in 1967. It is a one senctence statement he gave for the WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA. The statement summarizes his view of his work in general, that is, the purpose of his work.

Also, added his stay in 1949 at a somewhat integrated school under the the University of Chicago.TonyCrew 08:48, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

Added one last photo illustrating Hughes speaking before the 1953 Committee of Un-American Activities as cited in the article.TonyCrew 19:01, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

Hughes' Black Pride

Hughes was possessed of a radical racial consciousness (i.e. black pride). While it is mentioned in the article, it was not fleshed out to reveal its importance and influence beyond the black American community on writers of African descent from Haite, to Cuba, and beyond and African writers. Therefore, I expanded it for detail and accuracy of importance.

Two, younger generation of black writers during the 50's considered Hughes "out of date" because of his constant talk of black pride and issues facing blacks in the U.S., hence, a racial chauvinist as Rampersad noted they saw him (207). Ironically and very interestingly, as Rampersad noted more, Hughes would consider those black writers influenced by the Black Power Movement of the 60s racial chauvinist because of their very hostile attitude toward white people.

Rampersad, Arnold. The Life of Langston Hughes. Vol.2 1941-1967 I dream a world. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988 TonyCrew 07:16, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

Vandalilsm

Corrected case of vandalism by 204.16792.24TonyCrew 16:18, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

Minor additions and corrections

The article state that Hughes father was the primary influence on his poetry, but this is incorrect. The primary influence on the poetry of Hughes and his body of work in general was his maternal grandmother who instilled in Hughes his strong sense of racial pride found so strongly in poetry and stories. Also, in 1923 when Hughes first went overseas, he visited West Africa, not Central Africa.TonyCrew 22:01, 17 May 2006 (UTC)

Added photo of Hughes in 1923 by Nickolas Muray. And, made further corrections in text of "Life" to avoid repetition. Also, added link to Hughes page at Library of Congress. TonyCrew 23:00, 17 May 2006 (UTC)

Fine tuned the article more to make it more precise and absent of certain confusing detail. Also, font was slightly thrown off in the second paragraph of the first section. Solved problem by reducing the three names of members of the LOST GENERATION to two names. In the end, the two names are perhaps better representatives of this generation of American writers in the article.TonyCrew 08:05, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Added two more photographs to balance out the page and improve the aesthetics of it at the same time. One photo I felt should be of Hughes during the the last years of his life as an old man. It is located in the "Career" section. The last photo added is by African American photographer James Allen in the "Politics" section. Allen was a friend of Hughes. He photographed many of the New Negroes of the period, including Carl Van Vechten.TonyCrew 09:22, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

Corrected date 1933 to 1932 when Hughes visited the Soviet Union for the first time. Also, added photo which should be the definite last to complete the article.TonyCrew 10:40, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

It was important to specify the oral traditon upon which Hughes racial pride was founded, the historically black oral tradition employed by African slaves and their descendents.TonyCrew 17:38, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

Filled out Hughes early life more. It was lacking in certain important information such as the early writing of Hughes as an adolescent and the recount he gives to why he was elected class poet in grammer school.TonyCrew 06:00, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

Added quote to support text. The quote (Rampersad 409) is from black writer Loften Mitchell, a friend of Hughes during the last few years of his life. /Rampersad, Arnold. The Life of Langston Hughes. Vol.2 1941-1967 I dream a world. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988 TonyCrew 06:34, 27 May 2006 (UTC)

Added internal links for Jericho-Jim Crow and Black NativityTonyCrew 18:27, 31 May 2006 (UTC)

Added more referencences to citations. One reference is from a friend of Hughes, Jean Blackwell Hutson, who was the former chief of the Arthur Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture . In the article, she talks about Hughes and his being gay. Also, added Ford Foundation link which talks about Hughes "radical black pride" and his importance to African American and Pan-African consciousness/nationalism/aestheticsTonyCrew 22:26, 31 May 2006 (UTC)

Under the REFERENCES, added the specific pages instead of the error of adding the book in general for citations in Faith Berry's book on Hughes. Note: Berry's book is "okay" but Rampersad's is more detailed. Berry was not permitted access to "all" the Hughes archieves at Yale while George Bass was serving as executor/trustee. And, removed Barnard I place earlier for want of more concrete references: Bernard, Emily (2001). Remember Me to Harlem: The Letters of Langston Hughes and Carl Van Vechten. In Letters 1935-1940, p.176 & p.227. Knopf ISBN 0679451137 TonyCrew 00:00, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

Added notations and "Note" section for them. Also, added Vachel Lindsay who publicized Hughes, but did not discover him as incorrectly assumed.TonyCrew 22:12, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

Corrected sentence structure where Vachel Lindsay was introduced.TonyCrew 04:56, 5 June 2006 (UTC)

Added the "last" photo of Langston Hughes for this article. The photograph is of Langston Hughes at Lincoln University in 1928. The photograph was not taken in the Soviet Union. Moreover, the hat Hugehs is wearing bears the greek inscription of the African American fraternity he belonged to while attending Lincoln, Omega Psi Phi. The photo and rearrangement of Weary Blues book cover photo should help to improve the appearance of the article.TonyCrew 02:53, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

Updated the article with information concerning Hughes' time in Washington, D.C. Prior to meeting Lindsay, Hughes would work for Carter G. Woodson and the organization he co-founded. Because work was so time consuming under Carter, and to respectful because all the right kind of blacks were being met according to biographer Faith Berry, Hughes excused himself from employement under Woodson to seek other, less demanding work. Hence, the job he would take as a busboy in the Wardman Park Hotel in D.C.TonyCrew 19:27, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

Further updated article with information about Hughes co-writing the the movie Way Down South. His writing partner was the African American actor Clarence Muse. It is interesting to note that his experiences in Hollywood and on the stage would find expression in the poem Notes on Commercial Theatre. Also, Hughes received a second honorary doctorate from Howard University,a HBCU in June of 1963.TonyCrew 22:33, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

Minor Vandalism/Corrections

Removed single poems from list of book of poems by 167.196.245.6. A little bit confused on the vandalism issue here since the section was clearly for books of poetry. Check user history to determine the precise nature of this user's activity. Possibly just mistake?!

More, provided internal link for John Reed Clubs. John Reed the individual whose name is given to the club. There is no entry for the "club."TonyCrew 17:22, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Provide wiki internal link for Essence magazine. Highlighted two decades, 1950s and 1960s. These two decades mark a change in civil rights and attitude among many of the younger generation of African American writers.TonyCrew 17:39, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Added photograph of Langston Hughes as a baby in 1902, the year he was born. TonyCrew 18:49, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

There were factual errors in the first paragraph of the article left by another user. I did not catch them until after adding the picture and re-reading to check accuracy. I appologize for not catching them at first. Hughes left high school in June 16, 1920, not 1919. He lived with this father during the summer of 1919, returned to live with him in 1920, and left him in September of 1921 for New York. Hughes seriously contemplated suicide one time. More, I added Hughes' exact quote from the Big Sea concerning his father's dislike for other black people, replacing the truncated one by O. Jemie in Langton Hughes: An Introduction of the Poetry.TonyCrew 21:26, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

While time permitted, I included more information about Not Without Laughter and The Ways of White Folks.

Also, user 69.243.223.21 placed incorrect information, the same as user 167.196.245.6 yesterday, in the Biblography. IN BOTH CASES, THE WRONG INFORMATION WAS PLACED and MISLEADING AND INCORRECT DATA LEFT IN EDIT SUMMARY AS REASONS. I am unclear to whether this is vandalism meant to mislead OR a user not checking facts. I fear it is the former. I am worried about further inaccuracies being purposely placed. More, these users,OR, the same user from different computers, appear to pick an actual work to place.TonyCrew 23:33, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

User: Sterki. Please read facts of biography(s) before entering information. Rampersand didn't "claim" Hughes showed a preference of other black men. He "determined" it through the careful examination of data as he researched his two biographies. Two, refer to the second biography to understand Hughes' general attitude toward whites (Rampersad, p.338 & p.368, Vol.2). Please, do not substitute homophobia as facts. Please read the work coming out, understand the date in whicn it was created, and read to understand with an open mind, and read up on current academia. I perhaps know more about Hughes than what is decent to know, but I can and have substantiated everything because of the rules at WIKI and its growing reputation of providing accurate data. Please, changing the facts around is vandalism.TonyCrew 02:11, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

To avoid questionable rewording of facts,possible vandelism, I, again, supported text on Hughes being gay with citations/notes.TonyCrew 04:29, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Added further notes/citations. And, in addition to the blues and jazz, Huhges was heavily influenced by the black church and its language and rhythms. It must be stressed, Hughes was somewhat disillusioned by the black church in cases where he questioned certain forms of behavior and practice that did not belong in the church (e.g. currupt clergy etc), barring what happened to him at church with his Auntie Reed one day. As Rampersand states, Hughes really believed in and supported the black church.TonyCrew 23:24, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Provided photo of Hughes as he appeared in high school circa 1919-1920.And, made minor corrections to typos.TonyCrew 20:45, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

Added photograph of Hughes receiving the Spingarn Medal. Plus, added more notes and citations to support text in relation to Hughes and the Black Power Movement.TonyCrew 20:50, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

Misleading Information/Vandalism

Restored the married name of Langston Hughes' grandmother incorrectly added by user 86.218.96.44. Her name wasn't Mary Sampson Patterson alone, but Mary Sampson Patterson Leary Langston. The full name isn't required.

I am afraid this represents the start of new vandalism again by users from multiple addresses who routinely come in and make unrequired and purposely incorrect changes. If just for a short time, I wish this article could be semi-protected to deter these vandals. PLEASE!TonyCrew 12:52, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

I apologize. I made the mistake but it is involontary. I have made the partial translation of this article in French and I am always seeking informations to add. I'm reading one of the only book of Hughes translated in French and the introduction called the Hughes' grandma: "Mary Sampson Patterson". I really believed make a correction when I made the modification of this article.

Forthermore, anybody can help me about the french article ? I didn't succeed to add photos - Alsop - 22 July 2006

Alsop, I apologize for mistaking your action. I have witnessed such a great deal of vandalism with the intent to provide incorrect information, vulgarities, and etc.

With the photographs, you may have to upload them from your end to the French Edition of Wiki. Remember, I believe the process is case sensitive. Therefore, the file and file name being uploaded must match the file name of the picture being added. Try again. Remember to add the appropriate tags and license.TonyCrew 02:41, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

Additions

Added photographs and added to the Trivia section.TonyCrew 09:58, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Added another photograph that should be the very last. Also, undated the notes.TonyCrew 07:03, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Added further notes.TonyCrew 02:47, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Added Tambourines to Glory to list of works. Hughes wrote the play in 1956 and later turned it into a book in 1958.

Furthermore, I have noticed that this individual from different computers:67.67.250.132 and 69.155.44.121 has repeatedly come in to add an external link to a book promo. To make matters worst, the site contains what has already been noted---- misquotes of Hughes and other misleading information that allows for a incorrect and offensive reading of Hughes.TonyCrew 17:44, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Provided further information on Ferdinand Smith to complete specific notes.TonyCrew 21:11, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Added Hughes to category of African American poets.TonyCrew 07:13, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Added further notes and another photograph. The photograph is a poster from the play DON'T YOU WANT TO BE FREE performed by the Harlem Suitcase Theatre that Hughes established.TonyCrew 09:11, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Added further notes. Also, added to external links. The first link is to The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain. The second link is celebrating the 100th birthday of Hughes in 2002 by Yale University who has the largest volume of Hughes' Papers in the James Weldon Johnson Collection.TonyCrew 15:57, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

Added further notes.TonyCrew 19:49, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

Added further notes, two photographs (replaced the first photograph which had a bad exposure with one I hope is a better and more used and recognizable than the other), and expanded the text concerning the overall documented goals Hughes' workTonyCrew 22:56, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

Added few more links of interest in Langston Hughes.

Once again, poster 66.140.173.150 has returned to add the same site, Langston in Lawrence. The site has been admended some by including the full text in a link of a quote from Hughes that truncated leads to a huge misreading of him, something Arnold Rampersad took pains to note in his exhaustive biography of Hughes. Though corrected,the site continues to misrepresent Hughes and some African Americans readers will find it offendedTonyCrew 16:30, 9 September 2006 (UTC)

Added notes and text of how the racial pride of Hughes influenced the Négritude movement in France.TonyCrew 00:05, 10 September 2006 (UTC)

Added another photograph to illustrate the black writers. African American writers such as Hughes, Du Bois, and Claude Mckay were the most influencial on the Négritude movement.TonyCrew 04:20, 10 September 2006 (UTC)

Added futher notes and informative text to the article.TonyCrew 09:42, 10 September 2006 (UTC)

Replaced photograph with one more illustrative of the black writers Hughes influenced. Also, added notes/citations.TonyCrew 18:59, 10 September 2006 (UTC)

Added furhter notes and expanded some text for clarity.TonyCrew 20:05, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Reorganized bibliography and references. The biblio. included references used for the article. Plus, added section of books for children done by Hughes that wasn't included in the bibliography.TonyCrew 09:13, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

Provided image of the African cosmogram covering the remains of Hughes in the Schomberg Center.TonyCrew 19:33, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

Vandalism

Edited out vandalism by 168.9.42.206.TonyCrew 20:05, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Reverted vandalism by 75.4.178.11.TonyCrew 05:35, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

SEVERE VANDALISM

RESTORED PAGE AFTER CASE OF VERY SEVERE VANDALISM BY USER 205.246.48.87.TonyCrew 00:33, 22 September 2006 (UTC)

Another case of very bad vandalism done by user 199.44.214.2.TonyCrew 17:23, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Repeated Vandalism

For reasons unclear, this article has been the target of repeated and often severe vandalism resulting in parts of the article being routinely blanked. Want to ask for protection, but not sure such action is required.

To the administrators and others who have been diligent in catching these vandals, THANK YOU!TonyCrew 06:29, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

Vandalism by 169.139.224.191. User vandalized then put article back to normal.TonyCrew 16:38, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

Added another photograph. This one is from a page of The Negro Mother and Other Dramatic recitations. It was illustrated by Prentiss Taylor who Van Vechten introduced Hughes to as Hughes always dreamed of owning his own publishing firm. With Van Vechten's money, Hughe and Taylor started the short-lived Golden Stair Press.

Vandalism by user Link12345161. The user signs in, vandalizes the page, then restore the page back to original format. User 169.139.224.191 behaved the same yesterday. Users are probably the same.TonyCrew 22:14, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

Added See Also section of key words associated with Hughes.TonyCrew 18:13, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

Corrected small error that identified Claude McKay as a contributor to Fire!!TonyCrew 08:34, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

Corrected vandalism by user 71.100.112.114. Interestingly, I have noticed that vandalism increases with every new school year where there is access to multiple computers.TonyCrew 17:27, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Vandalism by 152.23.203.139. Made minor edit to "Life" section of the article. Took paragraph concerning the sexuality of Hughes and consolidated it with another of like kind in the "Trivia" section.TonyCrew 18:46, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

The vandalsim of users 152.23.203.139 really concerned me after such great effort was taken to document and cite the correct sources. Rewrote paragraph of sexuality to better match data on Hughes "now" where his being gay is no longer a question.TonyCrew 20:03, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Added photo of Hughes on 2002 postage stamp and further notes/citatations.TonyCrew 21:55, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

REPEATED VANDALISM BY USER 167.21.254.13.TonyCrew 16:41, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Invalid Wikisource link?

"Wikisource has original works written by or about: Langston Hughes"

This link goes nowhere at the bottom of the page, is Wikisource not updated, or this article link invalid?

link appears to be dead. Removed it for the time being.TonyCrew 23:19, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

      Wikisource Link updated and activeTonyCrew 22:47, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

Added photograph of Hughes with Gwendolyn Brooks in 1949TonyCrew 22:47, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

Hughes in Film

Added to contribution left by previous contributor on the subject of Hughes being portrayed in film.TonyCrew 21:07, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

Reviews?

Hi, I noticed this article in the course of RC Patrols, and I've kept an eye on it because of the vandalism it gets. Overall the article seems to be a very well written bio of an intersting and influential man. Has anyone considered submitting this for Peer Review or Article Rating? Just a thought; keep up the good work Tony! --Doc Tropics ^{Message in a bottle} 21:47, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

Thank you, Doc.TonyCrew 23:22, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Photograph

Added photograph to better tying in picture with article mentioning Hughes' brief tenure as visiting professor at Atlanta University. The photo is of Hughes and African American photographer and friend Griff Davis who collaborated with Hughes on a picture essay later appearing in Ebony magazine, an African American publication.TonyCrew 23:22, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Added photograph of Langston Hughes and Jean Blackwell Hutson to article entry. Hutson,also African American, had known Hughes since her late childhood. She accompanied Hughes to Africa in the 1960s. Her quote is already included in notes.TonyCrew 20:17, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Confusing

This page is SO poorly written! The first section about his parents and their race is completely confusing - seems like he was married to his grandmother! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 18.111.2.52 (talk) 19:42, 17 March 2009 (UTC)

Notes/citations

Added further notes and citations for reference.TonyCrew 23:35, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Replaced dead link with new open link & added further notes/citations and a photograph of book cover for the Ways of White Folks, 1934.TonyCrew 00:40, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

Would you be willing to add the Langston Hughes Middle School in Reston, VA link to this site? The URL is http://www.fcps.edu/HughesMS Gljones1 (talk) 18:37, 28 July 2008 (UTC) Les Jones, web curator, Langston Hughes MS in Reston, VA

Setting up archives

• Hi all Langston Hughes editors, After reverting some vandalism to this talk page I decided to follow wiki protocol regarding archiving talk pages, because the talk page was getting rather long (>32K). The archive box should be pretty self-explanatory. --lquilter 18:57, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Sexual orientation

If one is so-called "closeted" throughout one's life, there is no evidence to prove one's sexuality. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.168.15.49 (talk) 00:35, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

THERE IS HARDLY NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE FACT OF HIS SEXUAL RELATION. IF SO, NEEDS TO BE ADDED AND NEEDS TO GO IN THE BIO SECTION —Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.8.238.50 (talk) 18:24, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

I hardly think that Hughes' orientation, closeted or not, belongs under "trivia." MJFiorello 02:19, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Created the category of Visual Media where the sexuality of Hughes is also noted. More, made more specific his role and involvement in the Spainish Civil War where he was only a correspondent.TonyCrew 19:59, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Added documentary film to Visual MediaTonyCrew 20:41, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

I hate how people are so quick to get some claim him as a homosexual when his sexuality was never concrete. His private life remains ambiguous, regardless of how some people interpret his poems. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Infinity2 (talk • contribs) 09:24, 2 June 2007

Usere Infinity22, please refrain from such POV prejudiced diatribes absent of research. Moreover, please do not come in and change DOCUMENTED footnotes/quotes. Your actions constitute vandalism.TonyCrew 15:54, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

User Infinity22, please stop changing material that you obviously are not familar with. You are adding prejudiced materialTonyCrew 01:04, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

• It seems like sexual orientation ought to be discussed more in the biography section. A short couple of sentences about the fact that he was gay; never married; very closeted. ... Then the "visual media" references won't just introduce this new biographical material out of the blue. I'll work on it. --lquilter 18:02, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

User "TonyCrew," please do not attack another user for stating his or her opinion. Your claims of vandalism constitute harassment, and for someone who makes the assertion that someone is not "familiar with a certain material," you definitely need to acquaint yourself with a dictionary, because "familar" is not a word. Thank you for your compliance. Furthermore, please do not insinuate that my favorite poet is a homosexual without concrete evidence. Did Langston Hughes ever admit he was homosexual? Nope. Therefore there has never been, and will never be any evidence to suggest accordingly. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.112.73.40 (talk) 03:05, 10 February 2010 (UTC)

Photograph

Repositioned picture of Hughes' home due to Visual Media being moved to better position in article. This should improve the aesthetics of the article.TonyCrew 00:19, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Infobox for writers

User Emerson7, please, the infobox follows wiki guidelines for writers. Adding "expressed age" upon Hughes' death is not necessary. His age the day he died is already included in article.TonyCrew 05:16, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Ostrom encyclopedia

You might add A Langston Hughes Encyclopedia by Hans Ostrom (Westport: Greenwood Press, 2002) to the bibliography. Thanks for the good work. Ostrom 17:26, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

Black

I'm not sure if there's a wikipedia policy on the matter, but for an important pro-black right peot/campaginer etc., nowhere does it actually say he is black. While one could quite easily deduce this from the article and/or photo, would it not be more helpful just to slip in the adjective in the first paragraph? Larklight 10:53, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

Hi Larklight. Your concern is already included in the "Career" section of the article where the vital chacteristics of Hughes and his works are summed up.TonyCrew 21:04, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

While many readers might expect the article's first words to be:"...was an African American poet, novelist, playwright,..." (emphasis mine), I rather admire the author's de-emphasis of a fact which (as Larklight also noted) can hardly be overlooked or mistaken by anyone who's viewing the page. Doc Tropics 00:22, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

On a similar note...

I'd perused this article before, but I just noticed something that caused me to read it very carefully, twice:

There is an LGBT banner at the top of the page, and at least 2 of the refs are from books about gay/lesbian authors, but nowhere in the article could I find a specific mention regarding his sexuality. It's possible I overlooked something obvious, but it seems like a curious omission given the banner and refs. I'm not necessarily advocating that it should be addressed explicitly; some might argue that it's not relevant unless he was "notable" for being gay.

I'm wondering if Tony might shed some light on this and satisfy my otherwise idle curiousity? Doc Tropics 00:22, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Hi Doc, Actually your question is addressed in the article. Specifically in the Visual Media section.TonyCrew 15:26, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm not sure how I missed that, it must have been either too early in the morning, or too late in the evening...I just don't have a good excuse. Thanks for pointing out the obvious : ) Doc Tropics 00:03, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

Doc, don't worry about anything. I can understand the feeling. :-) TonyCrew 22:58, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

This isn't directly about Hughes but I believe it is important, nevertheless. "where he became a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, the first black fraternal organization founded at a historically black college and university"- not true, they were not the first. Ever heard of Alpha Phi Alpha on the campus of Howard University? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 200.117.115.172 (talk • contribs) 05:43, 31 October 2007

The statement is in fact correct. Omega Psi Phi is the first black fraternity founded at a historically black university (Howard University) whereas Alpha Phi Alpha is the first black fraternity, founded at Cornell University, which is not considered a historically black college or university. –panda 06:03, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

While this statement is correct it should be noted that usually the fraternities are not referred to by the type of school where it was first founded. It is usually a statement like, "Alpha Phi Alpha was the first black fraternity". Period. I know the wikipedia page for Omega Psi Phi puts it in that manner but people familiar with the fraternities (not in the fraternity) don't refer to it in that manner. That is why the first comment was brought up. Just clarifying a bit.Dctoast (talk) 05:39, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Trivia tag

Removed "trivia tag" to incorporate nonsuperfluous trivia into article as warranted by trivia guidelinesTonyCrew 02:33, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

Removing photo

The caption inside the image of Hughes testifying before the House says he is testifying before Senator McCarthy. I have no problem with someone cropping the photo and reuploading it. Ryratt 05:52, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Restored photograph. The picture is from a past historical event. Hughes was required to testify at two o'clock on a Monday afternoon before the Senate Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy himself questioned Hughes with Roy Cohn present and also asking questions of Hughes. It is on documented government record.TonyCrew 06:29, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Again, the text caption says "Langston Hughes, before the U.S. House Un-American Activities Committee in 1953", the article also says he spoke before the House, yet the bitmap caption says he is before the Senate. Please choose which ever is the correct one. Ryratt 04:47, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

The text has been corrected. TonyCrew 18:25, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

Notes

Added further notes/citations as a safeguard.TonyCrew 19:30, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

Photos

A couple of comments about the photos, which are great. Separately signed for threated discussion. TonyCrew, you appear to have been the major contributor for a while, so I'm guessing you added these; do you or other editors have thoughts about my comments below? --lquilter 18:21, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

Placement in "notes" / refs

(1) It's disruptive to have them in the notes section -- makes it very hard to read the notes because of the way the text flows. Was it intentional, to illustrate the notes? If so, then there should probably be more attention paid to the CSS to get the flow better. If not, however, then I'd suggest that we keep the notes pure text (unless an illustration is really absolutely essential), and move the images to the text of the article. To the extent the article has too many images maybe we need to pare them and pick the most important. Or, include in a footnote, the REFERENCE link to the image, rather than actually embedding the image for display in the note. --lquilter 18:21, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

• • Removed from note to avoid confusions and clutter.TonyCrew 22:11, 4 October 2007 (UTC)
  • Wow, no sooner spoken than done! --lquilter 23:01, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

Courtesy of

(2) The "courtesy of" notes are inappropriate. Wikipedia requires public domain content, noted GFDL permissions, or fair use rationales for images and other media. Unless these have specific "permission statements", then they should just be described. Source is fine, but "courtesy of" implies that permission is given only for wikipedia -- which is not okay per wikipedia image policy. So, if the images really *are* "courtesy of" then we need to reexamine whether they can really be included in light of WP's policy; if they are not "courtesy of" but are actually GFDL, public domain, or fair use, then they need not say "courtesy of". --lquilter 18:21, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

• • All photos comply with tags assigned to them. Moreover, courtesy was a "polite" gesture that I now understand should have never been placed. Therefore, word has been completely removed.TonyCrew 22:14, 4 October 2007 (UTC)
  • Wow, no sooner spoken than done! --lquilter 23:01, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

Death

• While he's obviously dead, the main body of the article makes no mention of this whatsoever. I can't change it because the page is locked, so I'd appreciate it if someone added this detail. 24.131.128.231 (talk) 01:36, 29 November 2007 (UTC)

The article makes it clear that he's dead in the first sentence. Plus, the Death subsection discusses the circumstances of his death. –panda (talk) 01:44, 29 November 2007 (UTC)

Ooops, my bad. I totally missed all those. Thanks for clarifying, and I apologize for the waste of time. 24.131.128.231 (talk) 22:44, 6 December 2007 (UTC)

Personal life

Can you direct me to Hughes' "Personal?" Thank you. Mig (talk) 22:18, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

There isn't a separate personal life section; the relevant info is in the Adulthood subsection. Nietzsche 2 (talk) 11:02, 7 April 2009 (UTC)

Homosexuality

There is nothing in the references cited to support the initial thesis of the following passage:

Italic textAcademics and biographers today acknowledge that Hughes was a homosexual and included homosexual codes in many of his poems, similar in manner to Walt Whitman, whose work Hughes cited as another influence on his poetry, and most patently in the short story Blessed Assurance which deals with a father's anger over his son's effeminacy and queerness.[14][15][16][17][18][14][19][20].Italic text

The problem is the generalization that 'Academics and biographers today acknowledge...'. No concrete evidence is cited to back this extremely generic assertion, and the works cited simply do not uphold the hyperbole. These are weasel words. Surely some academics do support the thesis, but the references don't support anything other than some vague ambiguities. This should be adjusted for a properly encyclopedic article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gonzeaux (talk • contribs) 06:12, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

I'm also not sure about those citations. Are there eight sources that all support the entire sentence? It would make more sense to spread them throughout (i.e. a source that says "American biographers today acknowledge...", another to support Whitman as an influence and another to support "most patently in the short story"). --Midnightdreary (talk) 12:14, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

Early recognition

It should be a "noted" importance that Langston Hughes recieved early recognition and mentorship-support from Charlotte Louisa Quick ( aka: Mrs. Rufus Osgood Mason ), the widow of renowned Physcian-Surgeon, and Rockefeller Patron, Dr. Rufus Osgood Mason. At first, the influence of Mrs. Mason on the young man was motovative and inspiring, but later they would have a falling out, and go their seperate ways. Aedwardmoch (talk) 07:00, 28 July 2009 (UTC) A Edward Moch Aedwardmoch (talk) 07:00, 28 July 2009 (UTC)

Notable awards/works

I am student and use Wikipedia regularly as a research resource for many of my courses. I was wondering if someone could please gather a list of the notable awards Hughes recived and/or some notable works of his. It doesn't necessarily have to be added to the page, but I think it would make a nice addition. Thank you Rule.number.5 (talk) 19:31, 3 December 2008 (UTC)fsghaw eh

ok —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.125.30.15 (talk) 23:14, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

Legacy

In 2009, Langston Hughes High School will open in Atlanta, Georgia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.192.20.254 (talk) 14:08, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

why the hell she tell me to come down here —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.157.106.67 (talk) 18:25, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

Image layout

I reduced the size and description of several images because the page layout looked very cluttered (attribution doesn't need to be included on every picture since it can be found on the file description). All of the images found in the "Career" section are now right-aligned, only because the quotes don't look right with left-aligned. If someone else can figure out how to make them look okay, then feel free to revert that part of my edit. I took this photo today, but I guess there's no room. :-/ APK thinks he's ready for his closeup 23:11, 4 April 2009 (UTC)

Langston Hughs

Langston Hughs...Glen Sarver is always high or drunk if you ask him what he is on he will tell you something different every day. whether it be tripple C's weed or coke its always something. thats how amazing Langston Hughs is. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 169.139.224.110 (talk) 17:45, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

Vandalsim

This page has been vandalized.

01:31, 30 October 2009 (UTC) --jaaronw 01:32, 30 October 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jaaronw (talk • contribs)

"A New Song"

I think this poem should be deleted, or at least abridged. It's an eyesore, covering a good portion of the page and requiring the reader either to read through all of it or to skip it. Either way the readers focus is broken.Lehi (talk) 20:23, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

The Picture is not Langston

The Picture is of Wallace Thurman —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.197.53.96 (talk) 17:12, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

"I, Too, Sing America" Poem Publication Date

Since Langston Hughes died in 1967, I'm pretty sure he didn't write this poem in the 1990's. At [1] it says he wrote it in 1925. So I'm gonna change it. Bradj47 (talk) 23:27, 19 May 2010 (UTC)

The Ways of White Folks

{{editsemiprotected}} Please wikify one or more uses of The Ways of White Folks, the name of one of his books (editor's choice as to which uses and how many); The American Collection produced a film on a short story from that collection, and wikifying it here will help encourage an article to be created on that book. There is already an image of the book's cover. Thanks. 72.244.206.73 (talk) 01:11, 15 July 2010 (UTC) P.S. Bonus points (or a barnstar) if you also create the stub so I could add an infobox and flesh out the article.

 Done   — Jeff G. ツ 02:24, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

"one of Scottish and one of Jewish descent": was the Jewish one also Scottish? Please clarify! Kwenchin (talk) 19:59, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

vandalism

We seem to be attracting a lot of vandalism in the last while. Could we put a protection on the page? Thanks Span (talk) 17:43, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

Request raised on Requests for page protection. Fæ (talk) 18:04, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

I've semi-protected the page for three months, is this ok? Nev1 (talk) 18:19, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for your speedy action. Hopefully the vandals will get terribly bored now. Fæ (talk) 18:29, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

Great. Thanks Span (talk) 19:20, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from Hollybass, 30 November 2010

{{edit semi-protected}} Langston Hughes' first collection of poems is the Weary Blues in 2926. "I, too, Sing America" is not a collection but a single poem. I recommend either renaming the category to "Poetry Collections and Notable Poems" or removing individual poems and placing them in their own category.

Hollybass (talk) 02:39, 30 November 2010 (UTC)

Partly done: I think the proper solution is just to remove that poem from the list of collections. We can't list every single "notable poem" he ever had; the only exceptions I could see would be a single poem so notable that it had it's own wikipage (because it had been regularly and notably commented on by reliable sources). So, I'm going to remove it. If any of the others are single poems, please list them here and they can be removed, too.

Residences

It says at the bottom of the article that Hughes live in New Jersey's Union County at some point, but there is no mention of it in the article itself. After a little snooping I found at least confirmation of a residence in Westfield, New Jersey. Can this be confirmed? 173.70.194.24 (talk) 02:42, 9 February 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from Unterbildner, 4 February 2011

{{edit semi-protected}}

Change

Non-fiction books

• The Big Sea. New York: Knopf, 1940
• Famous American Negroes. 1954
• I Wonder as I Wander. New York: Rinehart & Co., 1956
• A Pictorial History of the Negro in America, with Milton Meltzer. 1956
• Famous Negro Heroes of America. 1958
• Fight for Freedom: The Story of the NAACP. 1962

into

Non-fiction books

Langston Hughes' autobiographical volumes

• The Big Sea. New York: Knopf, 1940
• Famous American Negroes. 1954
• I Wonder as I Wander. New York: Rinehart & Co., 1956
• A Pictorial History of the Negro in America, with Milton Meltzer. 1956
• Famous Negro Heroes of America. 1958
• Fight for Freedom: The Story of the NAACP. 1962

Unterbildner (talk) 12:24, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

There is already a full listing of works. I'm not sure the graphic adds anything.Span (talk) 08:16, 7 February 2011 (UTC)

This is no simple listing nor vandalism but an overview of the chapters of the two autobiographical volumes including publication dates and the decade the reminiscenes are set in. I am convinced this is worthwile information. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Unterbildner (talk • contribs) 20:15, 8 February 2011 (UTC)

Marking as not done, as the edit was contested. Please continue discussion and form a consensus before readding the edit semi-protected template. -Atmoz (talk) 00:37, 9 February 2011 (UTC)

This page outlines the recommended works listing format. Span (talk) 00:48, 9 February 2011 (UTC)

Seems the German version of Wikipedia finds the graphic relevant and does not care so much about the 'correct' format - see Langston Hughes at German Wiki Unterbildner (talk) 19:12, 9 February 2011 (UTC)

Agree that this graphic should not be included in the article; it is editorially favorable to just use the information in text or a table if it is necessary to go to this level of detail. VQuakr (talk) 15:03, 19 August 2011 (UTC)

edit request

The introduction should say he was a poet. Twalden4 (talk) 12:38, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

Done. Span (talk) 21:38, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

Hughes' father's name?

Nowhere in the page is Hughes' father's name mentioned, and actually, the article makes it seem that his mother is married to his grandfather. His father's name is James Nathaniel Hughes. I found this via the book 'Langston Hughes, Before and Beyond Harlem' on the first page. Could specific use of his father's name be added somewhere? Thank you.

(Sorry if this request wasn't made in the typical format; this is the first time I've added something to a talk page. Thank you again.) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.223.252.155 (talk) 22:22, 30 May 2011 (UTC)

I've tidied up the section a little. No content was removed. Span (talk) 01:37, 31 May 2011 (UTC)

GAN nomination

A few short points. The lead is currently too short for the size of the article. It needs to summarise the article better, as a general rule of thumb many editors try and include information from every section. There are also two tags (a "citation needed" and "which") that need to be addressed before this can pass. I would also suggest incorporating some of the poems into quote boxes too although this is not a requirement. AIRcorn (talk) 09:53, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

I would imagine it would also need a fair amount of clean up and a section on the themes and style of his work. Span (talk) 21:48, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

• Then step it to then. I want to see that green badge. MouthlessBobcat (talk) 07:30, 29 April 2012 (UTC)

Sorry mate. By nominating it you are responsible for getting it to GA standard. AIRcorn (talk) 08:46, 29 April 2012 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Langston Hughes/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Aircorn (talk · contribs) 11:00, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

I am going to quickfail this article. As brought up on the talk page the lead is too short and it lacks a section on his themes and style. There are also a couple of clean-up tags, some that have been present for a while. Nothing has been done since these were brought up at the talk page over a week ago. AIRcorn (talk) 11:00, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

Lead still needs work and the style/themes section. Cleanup tags are gone and the quote boxes finished and page layout improved. 97.85.168.22 (talk) 11:10, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Religious views

Why are his views on religion not mentioned? This is a glaring omission to not have entries on his criticisms of church and belief in a God. Here are his own words:

Goodbye Christ
by Langston Hughes

Listen, Christ,
You did alright in your day, I reckon—
But that day’s gone now.
They ghosted you up a swell story, too,
Called it Bible—
But it’s dead now,
The popes and the preachers’ve
Made too much money from it.
They’ve sold you to too many

Kings, generals, robbers, and killers—
Even to the Tzar and the Cossacks,
Even to Rockefeller’s Church,
Even to THE SATURDAY EVENING POST.
You ain’t no good no more.
They’ve pawned you
Till you’ve done wore out.

Goodbye,
Christ Jesus Lord God Jehova,
Beat it on away from here now.
Make way for a new guy with no religion at all—
A real guy named
Marx Communist Lenin Peasant Stalin Worker ME—
I said, ME!

Go ahead on now,
You’re getting in the way of things, Lord.
And please take Saint Gandhi with you when you go,
And Saint Pope Pius,
And Saint Aimee McPherson,
And big black Saint Becton
Of the Consecrated Dime.
And step on the gas, Christ!
Move!

Don’t be so slow about movin?
The world is mine from now on—
And nobody’s gonna sell ME
To a king, or a general,
Or a millionaire.

97.85.168.22 (talk) 13:39, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

• This poem doesn't reject Jesus or religion. But it is meant for those whom he considers frauds and cheats, who profit only financially without emphasizing the importance or meaning of Jesus’ or other religions' words. Hughes himself had said, "Goodbye, Christ does not represent my personal viewpoint. It was long ago withdrawn from circulation and has been reprinted recently without my knowledge or consent. ...I have never been a member of the Communist party. ...Christ came back to save us all. We do not know how to save ourselves." – Teammm ^{Let's Talk! :)} 07:52, 24 April 2012 (UTC)

If his religious views are to be discussed, it has to be using cited, published interpretations of secondary Reliable Sources, not editors' interpretations. You're welcome to find material from biographies and other published articles about him.Parkwells (talk) 13:58, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

Thankyou Parkwell for adding the source I had linked for you. 97.85.168.22 (talk) 21:38, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

In the biography Laurie F. Leach (2004) it relates a story where at 13 he went to a Baptist church and sat on the bench waiting for the calling of Christ. He was the last one on the bench and he didn't feel it but he gave into the congregations expectations and pretended to be saved. "Miserably conscious of his hypocrisy and realizing he had lost his faith since Jesus had ignored his sincere appeal, Langston cried in his bed that night." It seems an important story to add into his childhood that demonstrates his complex relationship with religion. 97.85.168.22 (talk) 04:12, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

Sure. Go for it. The article need a proper overhaul and full sourcing. Span (talk) 10:04, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

poem format, page layout, image widths, quote boxes

I did some page layout work to resize the images so that the text flows around them smoothly and doesn't break paragraphs in middle of sentences. The trick to this is to add a width attribute to all files for explicit control of sizing. You don't put width=xxx, you just put the size in increments of 10 followed by 'px' for example: |150px| Also, place the images in whatever sentence breaks that ends up putting the picture geographically near the articles discussion of it. That meant pulling the burial picture out of the Death heading and moving it up one paragraph into his life so that the picture is properly placed and not hanging down into his Career section. I resized the poems to the width so the text of his writing matches as close as possible to how Hughes formatted the poems. A poems word layout is just as important as it's content. Racial Mountain is done. All the quote boxes are finished and formatted. 97.85.168.22 (talk) 10:41, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Communism

• Langston Hughes was many times labeled as a Communist and that practice of naming so-called Communists was widespread during the time in which he was popular. His works were sometimes controversial and led to many misconceptions. It should be noted that at all times, Hughes DENIED such claims in interviews and whenever scrutinized as such. He was simply his own artist and thinker. In many ways, yes, at that time in American history, Hughes likely believed that the communist form of government would be more favorable to Black people, but he quickly became aware that his good treatment in places like Russia, for example, was a ruse, calculated to make Blacks think that communism was friendlier. In his Senate Testimony, March 24, 1953, Hughes said, "I never read the theoretical books of socialism or communism or the Democratic or Republican parties for that matter, and so my interest in whatever may be considered political has been non-theoretical, non-sectarian, and largely emotional and born out of my own need to find some way of thinking about this whole problem of myself." – Teammm ^{Let's Talk! :)} 07:30, 24 April 2012 (UTC)

DENIED such claims in interviews and whenever scrutinized as such. You have the sources for those interviews where he is denying his attachment to the Communists? 97.85.168.22 (talk) 21:40, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

Here is a link to his entire testimony. It also includes the text of Goodbye Christ which they were using against him. He denied being a Communist and an atheist. 97.85.168.22 (talk) 23:13, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

Thank you. :) Teammm ^talk
_email 20:38, 20 February 2013 (UTC)

sale of house in cleveland

The text of the article incorrectly states the date of his house in cleveland going into foreclosure: " The Hughes' home in Cleveland was sold in foreclosure in February 1918", it was listed by the bank after forclosure in 2009 at the price of $16,667.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/07/house_where_langston_hughes_li.html

I've removed the sentence, the topic of which is really trivial in terms of understanding Langston Hughes. Rivertorch (talk) 18:52, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 9 June 2014

Please change " american poet" to "African-american" 197.35.239.8 (talk) 18:17, 9 June 2014 (UTC)

Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. — {{U|Technical 13}} ^{(e • t • c)} 18:47, 9 June 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 1 February 2015

95.149.223.34 (talk) 02:56, 1 February 2015 (UTC)

Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. Edgars2007 (talk/contribs) 06:03, 1 February 2015 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 1 February 2015

Langston Hughes was also featured prominently in a national campaign sponsored by the Center for Inquiry (CFI) known as African Americans for Humanism. He was featured alongside modern black freethinking, atheist, and humanist activist such as Alix Jules and Mandisa Thomas. Alixjules (talk) 21:57, 1 February 2015 (UTC)

Partly done: The second, self-promoting sentence was left out. Thanks. -- Sam ^Sing! 00:23, 2 February 2015 (UTC)

Additional published resource

Suggested additional published resource:

Hans Ostrom. “History and Historicity in the Work of Langston Hughes,” in Critical Perspectives on Langston Hughes, ed. R. Baxter Miller (Pasadena: Salem Press, 2012).

Harmonstreet (talk) 23:21, 14 April 2015 (UTC) Hans Ostrom

gender mistake re: Jessie Redmon Faucet

On the Langston Hughes page, Jessie Redmon Faucet of The Crisis magazine is described along with two other editors as "men." She was a woman. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.173.47.77 (talk) 17:31, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

Thanks for catching that. I removed the sentence since that was not the only problem. The sentence also contradicts a statement by Hughes cited in the Jessie Redmon Fauset Wikipedia article: In his memoir The Big Sea, Hughes wrote, "Jessie Fauset at The Crisis, Charles Johnson at Opportunity, and Alain Locke in Washington were the people who midwifed the so-called New Negro Literature into being."'and draws a conclusion not supported by a citation. — Neonorange (talk) 18:41, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

Critical Assessment?

Is it just me, or is the article as it now stands mostly silent on the question of literary critics' views of Hughes's work? For a major poet, one would expect to find a synopsis of such views. The article on Robert Frost, for instance, has a section called "Style and Critical Response"; the article on Emily Dickinson has a section called "Reception"--shouldn't there be something similar here? 206.208.104.20 (talk) 12:36, 4 May 2017 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 9 October 2017

Ry46132 (talk) 15:02, 9 October 2017 (UTC)

he is dead

Not done: This is already stated and implied. –72 _(talk) 15:22, 9 October 2017 (UTC)

(langston huges was one of the best poets).

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Semi-protected edit request on 9 March 2018

File:Langston Hughes Smiling.png

A photo of Langston Hughes smiling.

Well, I was doing a project on Langston Hughes, but then I noticed that his picture was an unflattering portrait that makes him look like a boring person. Most people glance at the picture before reading the text, and first impressions are everything. I thought "I know of this great picture of Langston Hughes where he is sitting down and smiling. That will look great on his Wikipedia page!" So, I found the file, uploaded it, and opened Langston Hughes' page, only to find that I need to send an edit request in order to make the change. It's fine if you are still skeptical, which is why I have enclosed the image information. I don't care if it is you or me, but I want Langston Hughes' photo to be the one with the beautiful smile, not the weird sad-looking one. Bloodstreamer (talk) 02:43, 9 March 2018 (UTC)

• Hmm well I don't think he looks boring--perhaps you are confusing boring with serious. Don't miss the glimmer in his eye. Anyway, that boring photo is made by Carl Van Vechten and has a kind of iconic status. Technically speaking, it's sharper than the charming one you found, so I don't think we should change it--but thanks for the suggestion (and I got to learn about Van Vechten along the way). Drmies (talk) 02:51, 9 March 2018 (UTC)

Let America Be America Again

Let America Be America Again is listed as if it were a book. It's actually a poem in a book called A New Song, published in 1938. Whoever is allowed to edit this, please make the change.

You're also missing the poetry book by him Jim Crow's Last Stand, published in 1943; in bibliographies, it's listed after Freedom's Plow.

• Thanks. Drmies (talk) 02:54, 9 March 2018 (UTC)

Harlem Mosaics Inclusion (COI)

Hi All,

I made the following edit to the Langston Hughes article under "Representations in other media":

"The novel Harlem Mosaics (2012) by Whit Frazier depicts the friendship between Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, and tells the story of how their friendship fell apart during their collaboration on the play Mule Bone. [86]"

I've now been advised by one of the Wikipedia editors that I should appeal my edit to this talk page. I fully admit that I am the author of the novel, and thus must admit conflict of interest -- I have always been transparent about that, as my Wikipedia handle is exactly the same as my real name. I was under the impression, however, especially because of the information on this page, that a review of my book from an established and reputable media source would suffice for my including it here.

But now it seems that I need to make a case for the notability of the book as well, since I obviously have a vested interest in it. I would argue that my novel, as the only novel about Langston Hughes with a professional review (that I know of) is notable enough to be included in a section on Hughes' appearance in other media. The review cited in my text in the Hughes article is from Publisher's Weekly and, the review is glowing. The reviewer calls the book "a delight," and says the novel "brings to life important figures from the era—Bessie Smith, Thurgood Marshall, and Wallace Thurman—convincingly capturing their mannerisms and points of view, particularly on race-related issues."

Publisher's Weekly is, of course, one of the best known magazines in the publishing industry, and is known to employ anonymous, impartial critics. I did not pay for the review; Publisher's Weekly has a service where self-published writers can submit their books for book review consideration; very few books are accepted, and moreover, an agreed upon book review does not by any means guarantee a positive book review.

Finally, the subject of my novel, namely the friendship between Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, is a little discussed subject in Harlem Renaissance studies, and a fictional account of that friendship certainly has the potential of sparking further interest in the subject. Even less discussed is what actually happened during the writing of Mule Bone that caused the rift between Hughes and Hurston. My novel is a fictional rendering of this story, based on lots of research and consultation with Harlem Renaissance scholars, including Hughes biographer Arnold Rampersad (who is thanked in the acknowledgements), and Marc Primus who knew Hughes personally (you can see an WNYC video of him discussing Hughes here), and who wrote the introduction to my own book.

So that's my case for it. Thanks for your time! Whitfrazier (talk) 10:18, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

Thanks for posting this. I've left a note at WikiProject Poetry asking for more eyes on this. Rivertorch^FIRE_WATER 21:53, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

Sounds like a wonderful novel. But, personally, I'm not sure how beneficial it is to include this information, or much of the information in the section that's already there. It does not seem to add much understanding regarding Hughes to casual internet searchers, for example. Generally speaking, "in popular culture" type listings are just WP:CRUFT in my mind. --Midnightdreary (talk)00:17, 2 May 2018 (UTC)

Birth year provisionally revised to 1901

Schuessler, Jennifer (August 9, 2018). "Langston Hughes Just Got a Year Older". The New York Times.

209.6.209.51 (talk) 12:14, 9 August 2018 (UTC)

Mr. Jesse B. Semple

Considering Jesse B. Semple was such a notorious character from Langston Hughes' Chicago Defender days, I thought it'd be useful to explain more about him.

Jesse B. Semple was conceived in 1943 in the black weekly newspaper, the Chicago Defender. "Simple" was an uneducated man from Harlem who gave matter-of-fact (and usually humorous) accounts of everyday events from his stool at Paddy's Bar. This character became so popular that Hughes used him as the star of "Simple Speaks His Mind" in 1950 and "Simple Takes a Wife" in 1953. — Preceding unsigned comment added by ShamontielV (talk • contribs) 02:30, 29 September 2018 (UTC)

---

Langston Hughes is listed in the "Gay " category but his biographers disagree with each other on this question according to the article. If there is no solid evidence of homosexual affairs, should he be removed from that list? If this idea is based on readers' interpretations of his poetry, pro or against, I don't see that as factual unless knowledge of his intimate relationships back it up. Even letters can be misinterpreted, as in say, those of Russians, who called everyone darling, dear, regardless of gender.Opinions are just opinions without facts. Lmlmss44 (talk) 01:18, 13 January 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 24 February 2020

216.109.52.91 (talk) 16:23, 24 February 2020 (UTC)we was born in 1901 not 1902.

 Done. El_C 16:31, 24 February 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 24 May 2020

change "James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901[1] – May 22, 1967) to James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902[1] – May 22, 1967) and change "Born James Mercer Langston Hughes February 1, 1901 Joplin, Missouri, U.S." to "Born James Mercer Langston Hughes February 1, 1902 Joplin, Missouri, U.S." Idont ca (talk) 16:24, 24 May 2020 (UTC)

Could you please supply a source for your requested changes? Britmax (talk) 18:04, 24 May 2020 (UTC)

 Not done, the birth year appears to be sourced, so you'll need to explain why the source is wrong (presumably by supplying others), or why what's in the article doesn't reflect the source. –Deacon Vorbis (carbon • videos) 23:23, 24 May 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 2 September 2020

Death On May 22, 1967, Hughes died in the Stuyvesant Polyclinic in New York City at the age of 66 from complications after abdominal surgery related to prostate cancer. His ashes are interred beneath a floor medallion in the middle of the foyer in the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.[44] It is the entrance to an auditorium named for him.[45] The design on the floor is an African cosmogram entitled Rivers. The title is taken from his poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers". Within the center of the cosmogram is the line: "My soul has grown deep like the rivers".

His age should be 66 instead of 65. Justherefixstuff512412 (talk) 02:37, 2 September 2020 (UTC)

 Done Seagull123 Φ 20:55, 2 September 2020 (UTC)

Requested Correction

"After Hughes earned a B.A. degree from Lincoln University in 1929, he returned to New York. Except for travels to the Soviet Union and parts of the Caribbean, he lived in Harlem as his primary home for the remainder of his life."

Hughes lived in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and reported on the War. This article also mentions that he visited China and Japan.

107.77.204.92 (talk) 20:58, 10 December 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 21 January 2021

Under the "===Memorial===" heading, add:

• 1976: Broadway Street was renamed Langston Hughes - Broadway by Joplin, MO, the city of his birth. Dmcannon99 (talk) 13:40, 21 January 2021 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. ◢  Ganbaruby!  (Say hi!) 01:07, 22 January 2021 (UTC)

His correct birth year is 1902, not 1901.

Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902.

Sources: His first autobio The Big Sea, published in 1940 by Alfred A. Knopf. The 2-volume biography by Arnold Rampersad, published in 1986 by Oxford University Press. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nissemand31 (talk • contribs) 18:23, 26 May 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 30 August 2021

2600:1700:ADB0:4440:FC67:F5C2:7003:D82C (talk) 12:54, 30 August 2021 (UTC)

Th biography is missing important years like year graduated high school. what High schol and city and state. What did Langston Hughes do in 1921? ome years are missing. What did he do in Chicago Defender?

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. lomrjyo ^{(✉ • 📝)} 14:16, 30 August 2021 (UTC)

Silas Cushenberry

The affiliation of the Cushenberry family was with the Christian religion. Although Hughes wrote that Silas Cushenberry was his ancestor, perhaps it should be noted that this was only based on family legend but is not factually attested. Akiva100 (talk) — Preceding undated comment added 07:06, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 11 February 2022

let me edit this within 10 minutes Jdugh (talk) 19:16, 11 February 2022 (UTC)

 Not done: requests for decreases to the page protection level should be directed to the protecting admin or to Wikipedia:Requests for page protection if the protecting admin is not active or has declined the request. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 19:20, 11 February 2022 (UTC)

The other option is to write out what you want to change on this talk page, and someone may make the changes if appropriate. Britmax (talk) 21:03, 11 February 2022 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 24 August 2022

Change the birthday to the correct date of February 2nd, not 1st. 192.69.58.200 (talk) 19:13, 24 August 2022 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Cannolis (talk) 19:17, 24 August 2022 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request "Representation in other media"

In the "Representation in other media" add

In the second episode of the 2023 TV miniseries Fellow Travelers Langston Hughes' (played by Brian Dunstan) 1953 hearing before Senator McCarthy was depicted. His work is also discussed and one of his poems is quoted by another character. (There was no mention of Hughes in the 2007 novel the series was based on.)

If needed, A review of the episode with photos of "Hughes". 163.53.144.93 (talk) 02:00, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

 Not done: IMDb is not considered a reliable source per WP:IMDB. Liu1126 (talk) 17:52, 7 November 2023 (UTC)