Chapter 8
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”
Attributions
Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes photograph by Carl Van Vechten is in the public domain.
Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes by Delano/Library of Congress is used under a CC BY SA 2.0 license.