Uplifting News: Good News in History, February 1 | Good News Today

Uplifting News: Good News in History, February 1 | Good News Today

Why this story matters: Stories like this show how communities, innovation, and determination can lead to lasting improvements. Quick summary: This story highlights recent developments related to this day in history, showing how constructive action can lead to meaningful results. 125 years ago, the African-American writer, poet, and playwright Langston Hughes was born on what would become the first day of Black History Month. Hughes became a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance, writing often for The Crisis, the official magazine of the NAACP, as well as a weekly column in a primarily black newspaper called the Chicago Defender. He was also one of the earliest pioneers of what would become jazz poetry. Rather than simply taking an anti-segregation stance in his work he focused often on the divisions and prejudices within the black community itself, as well as many other cultural and societal aspects of America between the 1920s and the 1960s. (1901) His poetry and fiction portrayed…