Langston Hughes's former home in Cleveland, Ohio, where he lived as a teenager, is an unmarked, ordinary house at risk of demolition. Despite its historical significance to Black literature, the home remains vacant, raising questions about the city's commitment to preserving such legacies. The visit prompted reflections on the lack of recognition for Black literary figures' residences, paralleling similar feelings experienced by Tara L Conley when visiting Toni Morrison's childhood home. The experience fueled a desire to seek out more homes of influential Black writers for inspiration and understanding of their creative origins.
The house was ordinary, painted in an aging beige that was deepened with crisp, burgundy accents. At the top in an attic space the burgundy was most prominent.
This home, crucial to understanding Langston Hughes and his creative origins, remains unmarked and vacant as it was then.
I wanted to see more homes of the Black literary forefathers and foremothers, the ones I draw inspiration from in order to write.
The anger and discontent are something Tara L Conley felt in 2019 when she visited Toni Morrison's childhood home.
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