Angelina Weld Grimké facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Angelina Weld Grimké
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| Born | February 27, 1880 |
| Died | June 10, 1958 (aged 78) New York City, USA
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| Education | Boston Normal School of Gymnastics, later Wellesley College |
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Angelina Weld Grimké (born February 27, 1880 – died June 10, 1958) was an African-American writer, teacher, and poet. She also wrote plays and worked as a journalist.
Angelina was considered a "woman of color" because of her family background. She was one of the first African-American women to have a play performed for the public.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Angelina Weld Grimké was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1880. Her family had both African-American and European-American roots. Her father, Archibald Grimké, was a lawyer. He was the son of a white slave owner and an enslaved woman of mixed race. Archibald was one of the first African Americans to graduate from Harvard Law School.
Angelina's mother, Sarah Stanley, was European American. She came from a middle-class family in the Midwest. Not much is known about Sarah Stanley.
Angelina's parents met in Boston. Her father had started his law practice there. Angelina was named after her father's white aunt, Angelina Grimké Weld. This aunt, along with her sister Sarah Grimké, were famous for fighting against slavery. They helped Archibald and his brothers after learning they were their late brother's sons.
When Angelina's parents married, her mother's family did not approve. This was because of their different racial backgrounds. The marriage did not last long. Soon after Angelina was born, her mother, Sarah, left Archibald. She took baby Angelina back to the Midwest.
When Angelina was seven, her mother sent her back to Massachusetts to live with her father. Angelina Grimké had very little contact with her mother after that. Sarah Stanley died a few years later.
Her Grandparents' Story
Angelina's paternal grandfather was Henry Grimké. He came from a rich family in Charleston, South Carolina, who owned many enslaved people. Her paternal grandmother was Nancy Weston. She was an enslaved woman of mixed race. Henry and Nancy had three sons together: Archibald, Francis, and John. Henry taught Nancy and their sons to read and write. However, they remained enslaved.
Henry's sisters, Sarah and Angelina Grimké, were famous for opposing slavery. They had left the South before Henry met Nancy. In South Carolina, it was hard to free enslaved people, even your own children. Instead, some wealthy fathers sent their children North for schooling. They hoped their children would stay in a free state.
Angelina's uncle, Francis J. Grimké, became a Presbyterian minister in Washington, D.C. He married Charlotte Forten. She was from a well-known family in Philadelphia who also fought against slavery. Charlotte was known for her writings and her diary.
From age 14 to 18, Angelina lived with her aunt and uncle, Charlotte and Francis, in Washington, D.C. She went to school there. During this time, her father worked as a U.S. consul in the Dominican Republic. Angelina later remembered how clearly her father described his time there.
Education and Teaching Career
Angelina Grimké went to the Boston Normal School of Gymnastics. This school later became part of Wellesley College. After she graduated, she and her father moved to Washington, D.C. They wanted to be closer to his brother Francis and his family.
In 1902, Grimké started teaching English. She taught at the Armstrong Manual Training School. This was a school for black students in the segregated system of Washington, D.C. In 1916, she moved to Dunbar High School. This school was also for black students and was known for its excellent academics. One of her students was the future poet May Miller.
During the summers, Grimké often took classes at Harvard University. Her father had studied law there.
In 1911, Angelina was in a train accident. She survived but had a back injury that never fully healed. In 1928, her father became ill. She took care of him until he passed away in 1930. After his death, she moved from Washington, D.C., to New York City. She lived a quiet life there until she died in 1958.
Literary Achievements
Grimké wrote essays, short stories, and poems. Her work was published in important magazines like The Crisis and Opportunity. The Crisis was the newspaper of the NAACP. Her writings also appeared in collections of works from the Harlem Renaissance. This was a time when African-American art and culture flourished. Some of her well-known poems include "The Eyes of My Regret" and "Trees."
While living in Washington, D.C., she became connected to the Harlem Renaissance movement. Her work was published in its journals. Some experts believe her work helped set the stage for this important period. She was friends with the poet Georgia Douglas Johnson.
The Play Rachel
Grimké wrote a play called Rachel. It was one of the first plays to speak out against racial violence. The play was a three-act drama. It was written for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The NAACP wanted new works to help change public opinion. This was in response to the film The Birth of a Nation (1915). That film showed a very unfair and racist view of black people.
Rachel was first performed in 1916 in Washington, D.C., and later in New York City. An all-black cast performed the play. People generally liked the play. The NAACP said it was the first time the stage was used to show the difficult lives of black citizens in America.
The play Rachel shows the life of an African-American family in the Northern United States in the early 1900s. This was when many black families moved from the South during the Great Migration. The play focuses on the main character, Rachel, and her family. Each character shows different ways people reacted to racial unfairness at the time. Grimké also explored themes of motherhood and the innocence of children. Rachel's understanding of what it means to be a mother changes. She learns about the harsh truths of the world around her. A violent attack is a key moment in the play.
The play was published in 1920. It did not get much attention after its first performances. However, over the years, it has been recognized as an important work. It is seen as an early example of the Harlem Renaissance. It helped explore the historical experiences of African Americans.
Grimké also wrote another play against racial violence called Mara. Parts of this play were never published. Much of her writing, both fiction and non-fiction, focused on the theme of racial violence. This includes her short story "Goldie." This story was based on a real event from 1918. It was about a woman who was attacked after protesting her husband's death.
Images for kids
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Angelina W. Grimké from a 1923 publication
See also
In Spanish: Angelina Weld Grimké para niños
