Revolutionizing the Role of an African American Woman: Jessie Redmon Fauset
An everlasting image that has been placed on African Americans is one of inequality, being non-desirable, and incompetent in excelling in academics. In particular, this stigma pertained to African American women. However, there were women, such as Jessie Redmon Fauset, who sought to surpass the limitations and expectations imposed upon African Americans. She lived during the Harlem Renaissance, which was a time of empowering black culture and identity in America. Black literary was an essential aspect in this liberation of the 1920s. Fauset was a well-rounded woman who excelled in numerous areas of literature. Her well-roundness had a domino effect in her establishments thus leading to her achievements in a combination of literary elements such as cultural aspects in the Harlem Renaissance, political movements, and social features of women activism.
The Harlem Renaissance was an epic movement, where African Americans were seeking to ensure that they had an equal chance to be treated fairly. Black writers were finally being acknowledged for their literature and creativity. This transitioned to some of the first publications for African American, such as Jessie Redmon Fauset. She led her race, by overcoming unequal opportunities. Gradually African Americans approached the bracket of aspiring to succeed in the unlikeliness of a white man’s world.
Jessie Redmon Fauset was born in April, 1882 to the parents of Redmon Fauset, a minister of a Methodist church, and Annie Seamon Fauset. She was the youngest of seven siblings, who were all born in New Jersey. Fauset attended an all-girls school in Philadelphia, where she graduated with honors. She was admitted to Cornell University on a full ride scholarship, where she accomplished being the first black woman to graduate with a Phi Beta Key in 1905. As you can see her child hood influence her dedication in excelling in all aspects of education.
Fauset was optimistic, and was not afraid to express her opinions. It showed in her work, as she mastered the smooth flow of writing. Touche and Dead Fires were two poems that gathered my attention, as she speaks using imagery to guide the flow of those two poems. Her writing spoke for itself and it caused you to think crucially. Mainly, because she does not express her thoughts clearly, but instead makes you interrupt them as though they were your own words.
It has been quoted that Fauset “was one of the best educated Americans of her generation” (Barnes, Paula). This quote is definitely logical, due to her outstanding background in education as a teacher for over a total of fourteen years, along with teaching French and Latin. Jessie Redmon Fauset was goal oriented driven, and it certainly shows. She graduated with her master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. At that time that accomplishment was unheard of dwelling on the fact that African Americans were not given equal opportunities to excel in academics. She accomplished a lot for the African American race during the Harlem Renaissance, by being a leader and setting the goal high for education.
Following those achievements was three major civil right groups formed during the 1900’s, who stationed their organizations in New York. Their names are as followed the Black Historians, sociologist, and Harvard Scholar. The organizations were mainly led by W.E.B. Du Bois, who Fauset later worked for. Fauset was a political activist, who believed in equal rights for colored people and women. When the opportunity was given, she wrote about the National Urban League (NUL), a community group that trained black social workers, counseled black migrants, and even help with employment opportunities for blacks.
Shortly after the National Urban League began, publishing opportunities were giving to African Americans; it was called A Journal of Negro Life. Afterwards the editor Charles S. Johnson met Jessie
