Langston Hughes will always be known for his contribution in the Harlem Renaissance era. Since then, he was dubbed as a great novelist, poet, playwright and activist. These are always found in most Langston Hughes facts. Since his death on May 22, 1967, his legacy has been celebrated.

Langston was born on February 1, 1902. Originally, he was raised in Joplin, Missouri. This was passed on to his grandmother though from Lawrence, Kansas because his parents had to separate ways. Ever since he was given in the care of his granny, it was instilled to Langston that racial pride is important in the individuality of people. The same is also true for their love for activism. Mary Patterson Langston really did well in the values formation of Langston.

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It may be surprising to know but during his younger years, Langston was forced to study engineering by his father. This is why he pondered on this more instead of his passion and love for writing. However, he was not able to earn a degree in Columbia. He did not stay in the university for long. He left immediately. He did this by citing that there was racial prejudice in the university. When he was in New York though, his life changed through the discovery of Harlem.

Despite the fact that Columbia is not the best choice for Hughes, he still obtained a bachelor’s degree. When he was in New York, he got to spend several years there. Afterwards, he enrolled in Lincoln University. This was the place that gave him the chance to finally complete his education. He was classmate with Thurgood Marshall, he would then become a Supreme Court justice.

Since then, he decided to be a resident of Harlem. It remained this way for almost all his life. This was also the stage when he took a part in the community of black artists. This paved way to the pursuit of the Harlem Renaissance. He was with Wallace Thurman, Zora Neale Hurston and Counte Cullen during these times. These people served as his contemporaries.

The idea of Communism took the interest of Hughes. As a matter of fact, he viewed this as a way more feasible alternative than going for segregation. This is one of the reasons why he visited the Soviet Union. This also encouraged him to see the entire country. Do not get this wrong though because he did not join the Communist Party officially. Because of this, he was saved from the allegations about Communism. He was also not subjected to the investigations done by Senator Joseph McCarthy. He was not ready to go through serious consequences. His curiosity was not that deep yet.

Hughes also distanced himself away from politics. This occurred despite him being a socialist when he was young. He even wrote political verse during his earlier years. However, this did not make much of an effect. It only transpired in his writing and nothing else.