The battle was first waged over the right of the Negro to be classed as a human being with a soul; later, as to whether he had sufficient intellect to master even the rudiments of learning; and today it is being fought out over his social recognition.

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• James Weldon Johnson:

  Southern white people despise the Negro as a race, and will do nothing to aid in his elevation as s

• James Weldon Johnson:

  Shortly after this I was made a member of the boys' choir, it being found that I possessed a clear,

• James Weldon Johnson:

  She was my first love, and I loved her as only a boy loves.

• James Weldon Johnson:

  Northern white people love the Negro in a sort of abstract way, as a race; through a sense of justi

• James Weldon Johnson:

  My mother was kept very busy with her sewing; sometimes she would have another woman helping her.

• James Weldon Johnson:

  My luck at the gambling table was varied; sometimes I was fifty to a hundred dollars ahead, and at

• James Weldon Johnson:

  My appearance was always good and my ability to play on the piano, especially ragtime, which was th

• James Weldon Johnson:

  It is a struggle; for though the black man fights passively, he nevertheless fights; and his passiv

• James Weldon Johnson:

  In Berlin I especially enjoyed the orchestral concerts, and I attended a large number of them. I fo

• James Weldon Johnson:

  I thought of Paris as a beauty spot on the face of the earth, and of London as a big freckle.