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Clarissa Scott Delany facts for kids

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ClarissaScottDelany1923
Clarissa Mae Scott, from the cover of The Crisis (July 1923)

Clarissa Scott Delany (born Clarissa Mae Scott, 1901–1927) was an amazing African-American poet, writer, teacher, and social worker. She was an important part of the Harlem Renaissance, a time when Black artists and writers created incredible works in the 1920s.

Life Story

Clarissa Mae Scott was born in 1901 in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her father, Emmett Jay Scott, was a secretary for the famous educator Booker T. Washington. Her mother was Elenor Baker Scott.

Clarissa went to Bradford Academy and then Wellesley College. She was a brilliant student and graduated with high honors in 1923. After college, she traveled to France and Germany.

When she returned, Clarissa taught for three years at Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C.. While there, she joined a special group called the Saturday Nighters Club, hosted by writer Georgia Douglas Johnson. This was a place where writers and artists met to share their ideas.

Clarissa Scott Delany wrote poems that were unique. Instead of talking about specific problems, her poems used stories and symbols to share deeper meanings. Famous writers like Alice Dunbar-Nelson and W. E. B. Du Bois admired her work.

In 1926, Clarissa married Hubert Thomas Delany, a lawyer. They moved to New York City. Clarissa became a social worker. She helped collect information for a study about children in New York City. This study looked at how to help young Black children who were struggling.

Sadly, Clarissa passed away in 1927 at a young age due to a serious illness. Her nephew is the well-known American author and professor, Samuel R. Delany.

Her Writings

Clarissa Scott Delany's work is still remembered today. She wrote both poems and essays.

Poems

  • "Solace", published in Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, 1925
  • "Joy", published in Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, 1926
  • "The Mask", published in Palms, 1926
  • "Interim", published in Countee Cullen, ed., Caroling Dusk: An Anthology of Verse by Negro Poets, 1927

Essays

  • "A Golden Afternoon in Germany", published in Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life
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