Zora Neale Hurston: Researcher, Scholar, Anthropologist, Writer

Zora Neale Hurston was a researcher, scholar, anthropologist and an exceptional writer. She was born in Notasulga, Alabama, on January 7, 1891. Both her parents had been enslaved. One of my favorite quotes comes from her essay “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” (1928).

“Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me.”

Hurston earned an associate’s degree at Howard University. She was a co-founder of the school’s famous newspaper, “The Hilltop.” Later she received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Barnard College. She studied and promoted black culture and incorporated some of her research into her fictional writing. Her life in New York exposed her to Langston Hughes and other great writers during the black cultural renaissance in Harlem. In 1934, she established a school of dramatic arts at Bethune-Cookman College.

Much of her work did not receive recognition until after her death. She portrayed racial struggles in the early 20^th century American south and she lifted the voices of black women. Among her most well-known works are “Jonah’s Gourd Vine” (1934), “Their Eyes Were Watching God” (1937), and “Moses, Man of the Mountain” (1939). Hurston died of heart disease on January 28, 1960. Her remains were placed in an unmarked grave. In 1973, author Alice Walker located her grave and created a marker which reads “Zora Neale Hurston, A Genius of the South.” Walker also invested in revitalizing the works of Hurston.

Hurston’s work was not widely known during her life, but she now ranks among the best writers of the 20^th century. Her legacy has grown. In recent years, Ibram X. Kendi, well-known anti-racist activist, adapted some of Hurston’s folktales into books for children, including “Magnolia Flower” (2022) and “The Making of Butterflies” (2023). He published “Barracoon” for middle school-aged students in 2024. This book is based on Hurston’s nonfiction book “Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo,’” which tells the story of Cudjo Lewis, the man thought to be the last survivor of Clotilda, the last ship to transport enslaved Africans to the United States.

The inaugural Zora Neale Hurston Summit will be held January 31 – February 1, 2025, at Barnard College in New York City. The Summit is free and open to the public; registration is required.

I am grateful she is finally receiving recognition for her literary genius.