Trailblazers

Sanctuary celebrates Jessie Redmon Fauset, a poet, novelist and educator whose leadership during the Harlem Renaissance helped many notable Black writers advance in their careers. 

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Jessie Redmon Fauset
​(1882-1961)
Photo Credit: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Born on April 27, 1882, in Camden County, New Jersey, Jessie Redmon Fauset was a literary editor of the NAACP's The Crisis magazine from 1919 to 1926. She contributed poems, essays and reviews to this publication. She was one of three people Langston Hughes credited with "midwifing the so-called New Negro literature into being." She was also among the first African Americans to graduate from Cornell University.

Jessie published several novels known for their portrayal of middle-class African American life, including There Is Confusion (Boni and Liveright, 1924) and Plum Bun (Matthews & Marrot, 1928). She also edited The Brownies’ Book, a periodical for African American children, from 1920 to 1921. 

In her work, Jessie portrayed mostly middle-class Black characters forced to deal with self-hate as well as racial prejudice. Some critics felt her portrayals were overly idealistic, while others noted their subtle use of underlying frustration. 

“There is no telling what she would have done had she been a man, given her first-rate mind and formidable efficiency at any task.” 
​~ David Levering Lewis, scholar

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Some interesting facts...

• At a very early age, Jessie lost her mother and was raised by her father. Her father made sure she was well-rounded and received an excellent education.
• Jessie attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls.
  
• She got accepted to Cornell University, where she was selected to join Phi Beta Kappa. She received her bachelor of arts degree in 1905. She later earned a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania (1919).
• Her debut novel titled There Is Confusion was about a Black middle-class family’s struggle for social equality. 
• Jessie's second novel, Plum Bun, is the story of a woman trying to make people believe she is white and is her most acclaimed piece of work. 
  
• ​She aided the careers of several of the most notable writers from the Harlem Renaissance, publishing Langston Hughes’s first poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” in 1921.
• In 1929, Jessie married Herbert Harris, an insurance broker, at the age of 47. 
  
• Though she helped to usher in a crucial period of artistic flourishing, and was herself a vital participant in that flourishing, she was not destined to get much credit for it. Jessie only received a small amount of recognition and honor during her life and career as a writer. Some believe her modesty and selflessness kept her from becoming a greater figure in literature.
  
• Jessie is now remembered for her success in writing, editing, translating, and teaching. Her work has also been included in many anthologies.
  
• On April 30, 1961, she died of heart disease in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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