Renaissance Women: Georgia Douglas Johnson

Georgia Douglas Johnson (1880-1966) was one of the most well-known Black female writers, poets, and playwrights of her time. Though she spent most of her adult life in Washington D.C., she is considered a predominant figure of the Harlem Renaissance.Georgia became known for her weekly Saturday salons she hosted at her home with fellow black writers, intellectuals and contemporaries, which became known as the S Street Salon.  

For Further Reading:

• Georgia Douglas Johnson | National Women's History Museum
• 10 Poems by Georgia Douglas Johnson
• Voice from the Gap: Georgia Douglas Johnson

This Black History Month, we’re talking about Renaissance Women. As part of the famed cultural and artistic Harlem Renaissance movement, these women found beauty in an often ugly world.

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones, Abbey Delk, Adrien Behn, Alyia Yates, Vanessa Handy, Melia Agudelo, and Joia Putnoi. Special thanks to Shira Atkins. Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hi. I'm Misha Jones, a producer here at Wonder Media Network,
and I'm so excited to be guest hosting this week's
episodes of Womanica. This Black History Month, we're talking about
Renaissance women as part of the famed cultural and artistic
Harlem Renaissance movement. These women found beauty in an often
ugly world. Today, the spotlight is on a woman of

(00:25):
words in poems, plays, protest, and song. This wumannquin took
the social issues of her time and transformed them into
powerful language. This is the story of Georgia Douglas Johnson.
Georgia was born in Atlanta, Georgia, around eighteen eighty to

(00:46):
Laura Douglas and George Camp. Her parents separated when she
was young, leaving Georgia to turn inward. She immersed herself
in learning and creativity, planning the seeds for a lifetime
of curiosity and brilliance that would grow from within. In
elementary school, Georgia was deemed the quote teacher's pet. She

(01:07):
spent much of her time alone with her violin, which
she quickly learned would be a more dependable friend than
most of her peers.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
So began her love affair with music.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
After graduating school in eighteen ninety three, Georgia began teaching.
She later became an assistant principal at a school in Atlanta.
Yet she itched for gratification that she wasn't getting at
the front of the classroom. She yearned to make music,
so at the turn of the twentieth century, she packed
up her life and moved to Ohio to study music,

(01:40):
harmony and voice at the Oberlin Conservatory and the Cleveland
College of Music.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
She began composing music for churches.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
Eventually, she discovered that her talents continued by way of words,
and she began experimenting with writing, an outlet that would
become her life's work. In nineteen oh three, Georgia mary
Henry Lincoln Johnson. He was a prominent attorney in ten
years her senior. In the first few years of marriage,
Georgia gave birth to two sons. While her lifestyle began

(02:11):
to shift. If she raised two children, she did not
put the pen down. If anything, her dedication to her
craft grew stronger. Georgia began submitting stories and poems to
local publications. She never sacrificed her passion, not for her
husband and not for motherhood. A few years later, Henry

(02:32):
was appointed as President task Recorder of Deeds, so in
nineteen ten, the family uprooted their life and relocated to Washington,
d c. This city would become the backdrop for Georgia's
artistic awakening.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
As her husband's career progressed, so did hers.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Records suggests that Henry desired a homemaker, a wife that
would stay within the confines of her gender. But of course,
Georgia had other plans. She was busy publishing her first
poems in the NAACP's Crisis magazine in nineteen sixteen. Shortly
after that, Georgia began publishing books of her own poetry.

(03:10):
Her poetry was unique for its time. While many Harlem
Renaissance writers celebrated black cultural heritage, Georgie's instinct was self reflection.
She explored themes of love, identity, and the challenges of womanhood.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Her debut collection, The Heart.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Of a Woman, centered around themes of femininity and desire.
Much of the public response was critical, questioning why the
poems didn't mention George's blackness at all. In response to
the criticism, Georgia published her second collection, Bronze, in nineteen
twenty two. This selection of poems engaged directly with her
experiences as a black woman, capturing the struggles of navigating

(03:51):
the intersecting oppressions of race and gender.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
The collection was well received.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
Georgia also wrote over twenty plays, and her works often
dealt with the grim realities of lynching. Though some of
these plays were never formally produced, her works circulated widely
in private readings and academic spaces, serving as powerful calls
to action against racial violence. But one of the most
outstanding elements of her life happened in the living room

(04:16):
of her DC home. Georgia created an intellectual hub known
as the S Street Salon. She transformed her living room
into a beating heart of the Harlem Renaissance farther down
the East Coast. She welcomed in writers, thinkers, and activists
of her time. Langston Hughes, Zora Neil Hurston, and W. E. B.

(04:38):
Du Bois were known for passing through. In describing the Salon,
Georgia said, I'm half between everyone and everything, and I
bring them all together.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
This is how the home got its alternate name Halfway House.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
The S Street Salon existed for forty years, creating history
in a humble home. When her husband passed away in
nineteen twenty five, George's life had to change. She was
thrown into the workforce as a single parent, working a
series of jobs to keep her and her son's afloat,

(05:12):
but she never stopped writing. She published her final selection
of poems in nineteen sixty two, titled Share My World.
Georgia passed away in nineteen sixty six in Washington, DC.
She was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame
in twenty ten. At the end of her life, Georgia

(05:35):
counted she'd written more than two hundred poems, twenty plays,
thirty songs, and edited around one hundred books. She possessed
incredible strength and determination. When she didn't want to teach,
she left the classroom. When she wanted to study music,
she followed her heart. She repeatedly chose herself. She was

(05:56):
a renaissance woman in every sense, a trailblazer whose power
still echoes across generations. All month, We're talking about renaissance Women.
For more information, follow us on Facebook and Instagram at
Wamanica Podcast special thanks to Liz and Jenny Kaplan for
inviting me to guest host this show.

Speaker 2 (06:18):
Talk to you all tomorrow.