Cullen begins teaching at Frederick Douglass Junior High School
Poet involved
What happened
In 1934 Countee Cullen joined the faculty of Frederick Douglass Junior High School at 140 West 140th Street in Harlem, New York, teaching French, English, and creative writing. He declined an offer to head English at Dillard University in New Orleans, preferring the racial climate of the North. He remained in the New York public schools until his death; among his pupils was the young James Baldwin.
Literary impact
Classroom work redirected Cullen’s energy from the lyric career that had peaked in the 1920s toward teaching, children’s books, and later the theatre. The job also placed him as a working model of literary vocation for a new generation of Harlem students.
Source: Wikipedia
