Talk:Langston Hughes/Archive 1

Bisexuality & documentary
Hughes was widely considered to be bisexual, but his family destroyed much of his correspondance after his death. The documentary "Looking for Langston" discusses this issue. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.244.32.133 (talk • contribs) 07:17, 11 March 2004 (UTC)

Kerry?
Is the John llplpl[]pllllllllllin this article really necessary? 141.150.124.186 03:15, 20 Dec 2004 (UTC)


 * Why not? A presidential candidate chooses a controversial poet for the theme of his campaign.  He didn't make a lot out of it, but in a minor way it is like the identification of JFK with Robert Frost.   Poetry doesn't show up in politics all that often.  When it does, it is noteworthy, and we note it here.  Ortolan88 04:07, 20 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Some help?
Would any Langston Hughes fans mind helping me out, over on page color metaphors for race? One "PhilWelch" keeps trashing and reverting the page I started. I'm 141.161.54.36. Thank you! Your additions are much welcomed.

The input of experienced Wikipedians who grasp NPOV is especially welcome. Tverbeek 1 July 2005 04:42 (UTC)

Uhm..
"Hughes was born James Mercer Langston Hughes in Joplin, Missouri, the son of Carrie Langston Hughes, a black teacher, and her husband, a Black lawyer named James Nathaniel Hughes"

The "Black" lawyer, links to a "Whites" page. Shouldn't it either be a) not link at all, as the black teacher links to the blacks page, or b) the father was white?

The parents of Langston Hughes were both African American, blacks!

Incorrect information
It is a well established fact that the parents of Langston Hughes were both African Americns. Yet, for reasons I do not understand, someone keeps referring to the father of Hughes as a white man. Why? Wikipedia is suppose to provide a resource for accurate information, not information that is patently incorrect.TonyCrew 19:14, 14 December 2005 (UTC)

Regarding Hughes' sexuality
documented the correct information and sources:

Actually, in a surprising admission on the part of Hughes biographer Arnold Rampersad (who conducted meticulous research to admit this fact in LLH Volume 2), Langston Hughes showed a preference for other black men, especially dark skinned black men. Hughes found white men of little sexual appeal(Rampersad 336). Moreover, while in his early 60s, Hughes seemed to fall in love with Gilbert Price(Rampersad 373), a former black star of Broadway who was himself closeted until his accidental death due to carbon monoxide. Price had a strong handsome voice similiar to Paul Robeson. Hughes traveling companion in the Caribbean, Zell Ingram, was gay but Hughes disguised him as a heterosexual in his first autobiography (Berry,123). Zell was known to be gay even though he married and divorced later in his life. The F.S. Poem is conjectured to be Ferdinand Smith, a sailor from Jamaica who Hughes corresponded with up until Smith's death in Jamaica(Berry 347). They met in the 1920's. Smith encouraged Hughes toward sea travel. The poem, Sailor Ashore, was written for Smith. The love Hughes had for other black men is evident in a number of unpublished poems he wrote to a black male lover(West 162). Hughes was seen in bath house in Harlem, the only one to admit black men in New York, Mt. Morris Baths. A close friend of Hughes, Glenn Carrington, was another black gay man who knew Hughes from his youth in the 20's. Carrington often took photos of handsome young black men.

In the book REMEMBER ME TO HARLEM, a selected collection of letters between Hughes and Carl Van Vechten by Emily Barnard, a reference is made to the "open secret" of Hughes being gay by one of the leading black publications of his day, Amsterdam News 1940(Bernard 176). Hughes along with Richmond Barthe ,himself gay, was nominated as eligiable bachelors. In addition, Van Vechten sends Hughes a photograph of two very handsome black sailors with a "wink, wink" inuendo (Barnard 227). The same books hints of other black gay men who were more than likely associated with Hughes. The book feautures ample evidence if only one is willing to read very carefully.

Isaac Julien's LOOKING FOR LANGSTON pays homage to Hughes and and denied black gay history by attempting to reclaim Hughes and other black gay men who have contributed in general to black American history. The film, through a character resembling a young Hughes, celebrates the love between black gay men.

"In black culture in general, as long as you can pass and have all of the accoutrements of straight men, then you are "okay"--the problems arise when you are vocal and comfortable with your homosexuality..."

It must be remembered that the majority of black gay men were closeted in Hughes day. Hughes would not have been able to achieve what he did if he was open about his sexuality. Hughes taught black Americans to take pride in their heritage and love themselves absent of self-hate. He was not high minded like many black intellectuals of his day, but celebrated the working class black and through him the working class in general in all people. Long before "black is beautiful" of the 60's, Hughes was saying black is beautiful.TonyCrew 18:49, 14 December 2005 (UTC)

Bernard, Emily. Remember Me to Harlem: The Letters of Langston Hughes and Carl Van Vechten. Knopf 2001

Berry, Faith. Langston Hughes: Before and Beyond Harlem. Citadel Press 1983, 1992

Rampersad, Arnold. The Life of Langston Hughes. Vol.2 1941-1967 I dream a world. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988

Waugh, Thomas. Hard to Imagine. Columbia University Press. 1996.

West Sandra & Aberjhani. Encyclopedia of The Harlem Renaissance. Checkmark Books 2003TonyCrew 20:22, 15 December 2005 (UTC)