Book Review: Color, Sex, & Poetry: African American Lesbian Poet and Writer Angelina Weld Grimke Will never be forgotten

When people think about the Harlem Renaissance they usually think of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Jean Toomer, Jesse Fauset, Wallace Thurman, Carl Van Vechten, Countee Cullen, Richard Bruce Nugent, and perhaps Alain Locke. One of the forgotten members of this elite group of black writers is Angelina Weld Grimke. I love Angelina Weld Grimke’s poetry she was an incredible poet and writer.

Angelina Weld Grimke was born Feburary 27 1880  in Boston Massachusetts and she died June 10 1958 in New York City. Angelina’s family was a very privileged and prominent American abolitionist family. Angelina was named after her famous white abolitionist grandmother. Angelina has a biracial heritage, her father Archibald was an African American lawyer and her Sara Stanley was a white woman. Ms. Stanley abandoned Angelina when she was a young child. Its kind of sad that Angelina wasn’t more famous during her lifetime but she was known for her evocative passionate poetry. Angelina Weld Grimke is an amazing poet her poetry is pure art like a painting in a gallery her work will never be forgotten.

The information I have read about Angelina Weld Grimke is very depressing it appears her father Archibald controlled her life. Angelina was very insecure she constantly doubted herself. Angelina could not function without Archibald’s consent. Angelina had to live in the closet and she cared for her father until he died.

However, I think Angelina’s poetry although some of it is dark there is some hope that exists. My perspective is through poetry Angelina was able to become ”alive” and “express” herself and her longing for a female lover through poetry. Angelina’s poetry definitely has many themes of lesbianism but also feelings of depression and loneliness as well. After Angelina’s father’s died in 1930, she moved to New York City and lived in seclusion for the rest of her life and stopped writing.

According to Gloria T Hull’s biography, “Color, Sex, & Poetry”, the death of Angelina’s father had a profound negative effect on her physical and mental health. Hull states that Angelina’s relationship with her dad Archibald was borderline incestuous in the sense she saw her father as the only man in her life. Angelina’s love life was fraught with relationships that didn’t materialize into anything fruitful.

One of my criticism’s of Hull’s book is she doesn’t explore in more detail the issue of black lesbianism and its significant role in Angelina life. Hull’s book is heterosexist there is a presumption of heterosexuality. Hull ignores the importance of lesbianism in Angelina Weld Grimke’s life. Angelina Weld Grimke is perhaps the first black lesbian woman in the twentieth century to write so passionately from the black lesbian perspective. Grimke’s work is crucial and important to black gay history. Hull glosses over the importance of Angelina’s lesbian identity in relation to her art and racial identity.

Hull claims that Angelina had relationships with both men and women. Perhaps Angelina did have relationships with men but she certainly didn’t want a serious long term relationship with a man. It is clear that Angelina loved and desired other women. I also doubt whether Angelina was actually sexually attracted or interested in men either.

My argument is, perhaps the reason Angelina was so “close” to her father was due to the fact she had a conflict about her sexual orientation? Could it be possible Angelina had some feelings of repression about being a black lesbian? Maybe Angelina was afraid to be on her own or maybe her father made her feel guilty? Angelina desired the male approval of her father because she was distressed about being a black lesbian.

Another criticism I have of Hull’s book, I think she is too judgmental of Angelina Weld Grimke’s writing her analysis is a hindrance at times. Hull writes from a modern point of view. Hull is entitled to her viewpoints but it is unacceptable that she bashes Angelina Weld Grimke for writing short stories about lynching. Although Angelina Weld Grimke was privileged, she still was cognizant about the horrors of lynching. Thousands of blacks were lynched during the early part of the twentieth century. Lynching was a very important social issue it was a form of terrorism and genocide against the black race.

I believe it is such a disservice for Gloria T Hull to patronize Grimke’s writing and consistently make statements that she didn’t feel the “writing” was great. Hull obviously doesn’t get it. The important issue is the historical importance of Angelina’s writing. It is obvious editors and publishers responded to Angelina’s writing because she was able to get her work consistently published.

Doesn’t Gloria T Hull understand in relation to history the so called “literary merit” isn’t the most important issue? The central issue is the fact Angelina’s work was published in the first place! Black women in the early twentieth century in the United States encountered racial, social, economic, and gender oppression. Angelina Weld Grimke’s work is very vital and important primary source material.

Angelina Weld Grimke wrote about lynching because she was attempting to communicate to society about the injustices against black people. Hull complains too many times that she doesn’t think Angelina Weld Grimke’s writing is “great”. I didn’t purchase “Color, Sex, and Poetry” for a literary review.

The purpose of the book is to explore the life of Angelina Weld Grimke. Why should the reader take Hull’s views as the absolute truth? Why is Hull trying to diminish and downplay the importance of Angelina Weld Grimke’s writing? Hull concentrates too much on race and politics and not about lesbianism. I think it is just plain homophobia on Gloria T Hull’s part to ignore the importance of black lesbianism.

It is typical of black heterosexuals in academic sphere to try to attempt to diminish and downplay black queer history. Well here I am reclaiming Angelina Weld Grimke as an important black lesbian writer. Angelina is important to me as a black gay man because this is a part of my history. It is so crucial for black gay people to know in the early 20th century black gay and lesbian artists existed and wrote from the black gay and lesbian perspective. The book “Color, Sex and Poetry” has undercurrents of homophobia that I find disgusting and abhorrent.

It is such a slap in the face to black lesbian history that Gloria T Hull consistently criticizes such an acclaimed black woman writer. I also question if Gloria T Hull is a heterosexual woman? I just don’t think straight people understand the terror, repression, depression, and despair some gay people experience. Angelina Weld Grimke encountered racism, homophobia, and gender oppression. I think it is incredible Angelina was able to get work published consistently for a period of time in her life.

Angelina Weld Grimke is a very important black lesbian writer because she was one of the first black women writers to provide a black woman’s perspective to the world. Also it must be pointed out most of Angelina Weld Grimke’s work isn’t even available for the public to view anyway. Grimke’s work is held in universities across the United States and are considered important historical documents.

I cannot take some of Gloria T Hull’s criticism of Angelina Weld Grimke’s work seriously because she isn’t thinking about the time and space the work was created. Big deal if Gloria T Hull didn’t like Angelina’s work that was published. Who cares? Hull’s comments are annoying and disrupts the flow of the book. Obviously Angelina Weld Grimke’s short stories were important enough to be published in established journals during her lifetime such as the birth control review.

During the first half of the twentieth century, homosexuality in the United States was considered a mental disorder and illness. Perhaps, Angelina wanted an affirmation and acceptance despite fighting the internal turmoil in her life? Hull’s book doesn’t dig beneath the surface and explore the importance and difficulty black lesbians had in the early twentieth century. Hull does discuss a little bit that Angelina Weld Grimke was a black lesbian but I wanted more information. Hull doesn’t spent enough time discussing the intersection between lesbianism, race, gender, and class enough.

Hull believes Angelina had a very unhealthy relationship with her father because she was so emotionally dependent on him for approval for everything. Angelina didn’t really become an adult, be independent emotionally and psychologically and live her own terms. Of course, one has to remember the early twentieth century was very patriarchal and a woman of Angelina Weld Grimke’s very high social standing was expected to be pristine and proper. Hull states that Angelina Weld Grimke lived in a prolonged adolescence and when her father died this shattered her self confidence.

Angelina Weld Grimke was a teacher for a period of time in her life and it was during this time she wrote poetry. Angelina’s poetry is very passionate and it explores the importance of the black lesbian erotic through art. Black lesbians had few social spaces in the early parts of the 20th century to meet each other to explore their life experiences. One of the areas where lesbianism was able to thrive was through art. Angelina also was a gym teacher during her lifetime although she did come from a wealthy background.

Angelina Weld Grimke is a black lesbian poet she is famous for her anti lynching play “Rachel” which the NAACP commissioned in 1916 and published in 1920. Grimke’s play was one of the the first plays ever produced to have an all black cast. The play centers around a young black woman Rachel from an upper middle class family. Rachel refuses to have children because she is against lynching and racism.

The play “Rachel” received good reviews in Washington DC and New York City. Grimke actually wanted the play to demonstrate that upper class blacks were not inferior to whites. Angelina Weld Grimke is most famous for her incredible poetry that was published in very popular journals, magazines, and newspapers during her lifetime. I close my eyes and I imagine the imagery in Angelina’s poems they have so much detail such as colour, sound, texture, emotion, alliteration, conviction, and strength.

The odd thing about Angelina Weld Grimke is that most of her poetry wasn’t published during her lifetime. Hull’s book ” Color, Colour, Sex, and poetry” is one of the few books that actually provides a portrait of Angelina Weld Grimke’s life. Angelina became inimical as she aged and suspicious of other people. I urge you all to visit the local public library and read this book.

The only reason I would recommend Gloria T Hull’s “Color, Sex, and Poetry” to readers is because it is one of the few books that actually provides an in depth analysis about Angelina Weld Grimke’s life. Hull’s analysis is fraught with generalizations and I also believe homophobia as well. The book focuses too much on the issue of race and ignores sexual orientation. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gloria T Hull is straight because it is obvious to me straight people just don’t understand the double lives gays and lesbians have to live in order to survive in society.

Can you imagine being a black lesbian in the early part of the twentieth century? Angelina Weld Grimke’s work is so important to black gay and lesbian history because she is an affirmation black lesbian love was real.

Here are some links to Angelina’s incredible poetry. A lot of Angelina’s poetry is about unrequited love or about love that is ephemeral. “The Eyes of my regret” is my favourite poem by her. Another wonderful poem Angelina wrote is called Rosabel that really explores lesbian passion. Angelina is bold in this poem Rosabel not afraid to declare her love for another woman and to make love to her. The emotion, the passion, the feeling in this poem is beautiful. Another poem I love that explores the lesbian erotic is “give me your eyes” its such a powerful poem and Angelina’s usage of language here is very romantic and sensational.

Examples of Angelina Weld Grimke’s Amazing Poetry:

http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/49613-Angelina-Weld-Grimke-The-Eyes-Of-My-Regret

Another poem by Angelina Weld Grimke: Tenebris

http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/49581-Angelina-Weld-Grimke-Tenebris

Link to Femme Noir more info on Angelina Weld Grimke’s life and the poem ”Rosabel” and other poems.

http://www.femmenoir.net/new/content/view/315/176/

Angelina Weld Grimke poems: Evanescence, Butterflies, and grass fingers.

http://washingtonart.com/beltway/grimke.html

If you want to learn more about Angelina Weld Grimke’s life the Modern American Poetry link is here:

http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/grimke/herron.htm