Langston Hughes: A Poet’s Life
Chapter 8
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One day, Langston was told he had cancer. On May 22, 1967, Langston Hughes died. He was 65 years old. His ashes are in Harlem. He is still remembered today for his beautiful poems. He is also remembered for helping black people see themselves as a beautiful community. With Langston Hughes’ help, the term “African-American” is used with pride.
The land wants me to come back
To a handful of dust in autumn,
To a raindrop
In the palm of my hand
In spring.
– from “Dust Bowl”
Media Attributions
- Langston Hughes 1936 © Carl_Van_Vechten is licensed under a Public Domain license
- Langston Hughes © Delano/Library of Congress is licensed under a CC BY-SA (Attribution ShareAlike) license