“The charm and humor of this now almost unreadable slave English gave unique color to his work.”

Reflecting on the artistic power and historical distance of Paul Laurence Dunbar's dialect · Essay, 200 Years of Afro-American Poetry

• Art
• Poetry

“A bar of music out of context does not give you the idea of the whole thing.”

Using music to illustrate the danger of judging fragments without their larger context · Senate testimony, 1953

• Music
• Truth

“Whereas the better-class Negro would tell the artist what to do, the people at least let him alone when he does appear.”

Contrasting social pressure with the creative freedom offered by ordinary audiences · Essay, The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

• Art