Boston, Massachusetts (July 1906 -July 7, 1995) 89 yrs

Helene Johnson was an American poet linked with the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement celebrating African American art and literature. She grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, and moved to New York City with her Cousin Dorothy West, where she became involved in the Harlem Renaissance. She was nineteen when her first published poem, “Trees at Night,” appeared in Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life in 1925. A year later, this journal published six more of her poems.  Her poems also made an appearance in NAACP’s The Crisis and the first and only issue of Fire!!, Langston Hughes’ short-lived publication. As Helene grew aware of the economic and divide facing Black New Yorkers, she began to explore racial themes in her poetry. Several scholars have made a case for a reconsideration of Helene’s poetry. Though she was a very private and self-described shy person, her poems are bold and innovative, bearing a unique voice.