THE NEGRO ARTIST AND THE RACIAL MOUNTAIN

In this essay Langston writes about the importance of embracing black culture and the necessity for
black artists and authors not to conform to a standardized idea of artistic expression. It focuses on
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Hughes begins his essay with a quote from a poet he does not name, but which contextual details
indicate may have been Hughes’s contemporary Countee Cullen. Cullen says, essentially, that he wants to
be known as a poet of merit, not as a “Negro poet.” He is appalled by Cullen’s statement, his denial of his
skin color and heritage. He makes it clear in the first paragraph of the essay that this situation, in which
the black artist strives for “standardization” and whiteness, is the racial mountain indicated in the title of
the piece, which all African-American artists fight to climb.

He analyzes the background of the young poet he quotes. He talks about how the poet was most likely
striving toward whiteness because of his upbringing – his parents both worked for rich white people, and
he came from a comfortable, middle-class, church-going family. He also attended an unsegregated
school, one of few in the region where he was raised, which may have contributed to his rejection of his
heritage. Hughes writes that because of his upbringing, this poet was never taught the beauty and value
of his own heritage, only the beauty and value of whiteness. He continues on to describe the differences
between “high-class” and the more common African-American homes. These high-class homes he
describes are notably whitewashed. He depicts a family with a well-educated father and a light-skinned
mother with a job in the service industry, or no job at all. The focus of the family is on the church and
material objects. On the other side of the coin, Hughes notes, the majority of black families live a
different kind of life. Hughes describes the joy and playfulness of neighborhoods full of jazz music,
drinking, and dancing in Washington and Chicago. These places are livelier, less reserved, and proud of
their culture and their heritage. Hughes makes it clear that in these neighborhoods, black people are not
rejecting a white way of life. Rather, they are living the life they choose to live, one that feels joyful to
them, without caring what white people think of it. Hughes makes it clear that he is thankful that there
are more of these kinds of African-American homes, where there is pride in black heritage and culture.

He expresses his hatred of standardization and how he feels it impedes upon black voices. This is done,
he argues, through American culture and education. Children of all races are taught that certain aspects
of culture are more valuable than others and that there are certain parameters for what should be
expressed, taught, or exhibited. Though Hughes makes it clear that historically, these valued expressions
were made primarily by white men, he acknowledges that the U.S. of the 1920s is experiencing a cultural
moment that values black art and black writing. Rather than allowing black artists to disappear from the
spotlight only weeks after producing their work, if they are known at all, Hughes notes that in
contemporary America it is hip to enjoy black music, art, and writing. This, he thinks, is also dangerous.
He expresses his concerns about how black art catering to white interests could dilute the uniqueness of
the artist that made them popular to begin with.
He finishes his essay with a distinct note about why he writes about black issues. He makes it clear that
he believes that every issue in America is a racial issue and that to write otherwise is to deny one’s own
heritage and reject one’s family’s legacy and history. Hughes suggests that choosing not to write from the
perspective of the black experience as an African-American is the same as giving in to one standardized
view of beauty and art.