Autobiography Of An Ex-Colored Man By James Weldon Johnson

In the novel, Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, writer James Weldon Johnson explores what life was like for a particularly privileged light skinned African American man at the end of the 19th century. Through the novel, he outlines a phenomenon called “cultural tourism”; in which describes a person of one culture who travels through another culture without really having the true experience of it. A cultural tourist engages in another culture’s history, language, art, music, even superstitions, all while posing as a clandestine member of that same culture. By examining the case of a “white” person touring and absorbing black culture; there is an identity crisis of the unnamed narrator that through a series of events; places him in a position

After the events of the Civil War, White Americans were left confused as to how to integrate newly freed black slaves into a new American society. It was not just a problem for the U.S. South, who had lost the Civil War and was undergoing reconstruction of their whole culture and economy. The victorious northern states also had its biases against recently emancipated African Americans. A culture of segregation emerged along with the inherent challenges of its impact on American Society. Various authors at the time, attempted to explore (using different perspectives), the future of America and the impact of a newly demographic populace in the U.S. Many authors delved into the foray by documenting the confusion and dialogue of the decades following the Civil War, including James Weldon Johnson. He was one of the most prominent African American figures at the time and helped bolster the Harlem Renaissance in New York. He was an accomplished “educator, journalist, political activist, diplomat, creative writer, literary critic, musician, and composer” (Washington, 234). The life experiences of Johnson are sometimes paralleled to that of the unnamed narrator in Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. However, Johnson was a much more active part of American society. Through his writing, it is obvious that Johnson is aware of the different roles in society of each class and sector of the African American community. Utilizing his own comprehension, Johnson wants readers to think critically about the thoughts and actions of his