Today, Jan. 28, marks the anniversary of the death of one of the most talented authors this world has ever seen.
Zora Neale Hurston was a pioneering anthropologist and a storyteller who immortalized the Southern Black experience in a way never executed before.
Born on January 7, 1891, in Notasulga, Alabama, to John Cornelius Hurston, a Baptist preacher, carpenter and tenant farmer, and to mother, Lucy Ann “Lula” Potts, a local school teacher. Hurton’s father was born in slavery in 1861, “on de other side de Big Creek,” while Lula was born in 1865 to formerly enslaved people who became small landholders.
At a young age, her family moved to Eatonville, Florida—one of the first all-Black incorporated towns in the U.S., and Hurston’s father even served as mayor. The self-sufficient community infused pride and a sense of belonging that would go on to influence her storytelling.
By 1917, Hurston’s ambition carried her to Morgan College, where she completed high school. She then attended Howard University, earning an associate’s degree during her tenure, and co-founded The Hilltop, the university’s newspaper. In 1925, she earned a scholarship to Barnard College, where she became the institution’s sole Black student. She graduated in 1928 with a degree in anthropology, befriending literary icons Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen on her journey.
The trio would go on to become pivotal voices in the Harlem Renaissance.
Hurston’s anthropological dreams took her to Haiti and Jamaica, where she explored the spiritual practices of the African diaspora. By 1920, she had already begun publishing short stories largely ignored by the mainstream.
In 1935, she published Mules and Men, which documented African American folklore. Around the same time, she collaborated with Langston Hughes on the play Mule Bone, but the literary work that put her securely on the path to recognition was Their Eyes Were Watching God in 1937, a novel that redefined Black women’s voices in literature. Through the story of Janie Crawford, Hurston examined themes of love and independence through the lens of a Black woman—something seldom done at the time.
In 1934, she founded a school of dramatic arts at Bethune-Cookman College, determined to cultivate a new generation of artists. Five years later, she joined the North Carolina College for Negroes at Durham as a drama teacher.
Despite her talent and contributions, Hurston struggled financially. Many of her works were overlooked during her lifetime, and she was often underpaid. By the end of her life, Hurston was living in poverty, eventually entering the St. Lucie County Welfare Home. She passed away on January 28, 1960, of heart disease, and her grave initially went unmarked.
However, in 1972, esteemed author Alice Walker rediscovered Hurston’s grave and marked it, sparking renewed interest in her work.
Today, Zora Neale Hurston continues to inspire future generations of writers.
