Effie Lee Newsome facts for kids

Effie Lee Newsome (1885–1979) was an important African-American writer during the Harlem Renaissance. She was born Mary Effie Lee in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is best known for writing poems for children. She was one of the first famous African-American poets to focus mainly on children's writing.

From 1925 to 1929, she edited a special section called "The Little Page" in The Crisis magazine. In this section, she drew pictures and wrote poems for kids. She also wrote stories about what it was like to grow up as a young Black person in the 1920s. Newsome also drew for other children's magazines and edited kids' sections for Opportunity magazine.

She also wrote poems for adults. These poems were included in a book called The Poetry of the Negro (1949). Her only book of poems was Gladiola Garden (1940). Besides writing, she worked as a librarian at an elementary school in Wilberforce, Ohio. She went to several colleges, including Wilberforce University, Oberlin College, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Who Was Effie Lee Newsome?

Effie Lee Newsome, whose birth name was Mary Effie Lee, was born on January 19, 1885. Her parents were Benjamin Franklin Lee and Mary Elizabeth Ashe Lee. In 1892, her father became an important leader, the 20th Bishop of the A.M.E. Church, in Waco, Texas. In 1896, her family moved from Texas to Xenia, Ohio.

Her Early Life and Learning

Effie started her college education at Wilberforce University, where she studied from 1901 to 1904. She then went to Oberlin College (1904–1905). Later, she studied art at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts (1907–1908). She also attended the University of Pennsylvania from 1911 to 1914.

Growing Up and Her Family

In 1917, Effie Lee Newsome began working with W. E. B. Du Bois on The Crisis magazine. Du Bois was a very important leader in the fight for civil rights. In 1920, Mary Effie Lee married Reverend Henry Nesby Newsome. After getting married, she became known as Effie Lee Newsome.

Effie and Reverend Henry moved to Birmingham, Alabama. Even after moving, Newsome kept writing for "The Little Page" section of The Crisis until 1934. While living in Alabama, she started a group called the Boys of Birmingham Club. She also worked as an elementary school teacher and a children's librarian. Later, she moved to Wilberforce, Ohio. There, she found work as a librarian in an elementary school. She continued to grow her career as a writer during the exciting time of the Harlem Renaissance.

Her Important Work as a Writer

Effie Lee Newsome was mostly known for writing poems about nature and for her work in children's books. However, she had a big impact on the people of the Harlem Renaissance. When she started writing for The Crisis in 1917, and then her own section, "The Little Page," in 1925, she had a special job.

Writing for Young People

Newsome's main goal was to teach young Black people in America that they were beautiful and special. You can see these ideas in poems like her work To a Black Boy. She also wanted to teach young Black people about their history. She encouraged them to feel love and understanding instead of anger towards others.

Newsome's work for children was similar to what W.E.B. Du Bois wanted to achieve. Du Bois was her editor in the early days of the NAACP. Their work together was very important. Newsome's job was to continue the ideas that Du Bois had started in his own children's magazine, The Brownies' Book. Both magazines were supported by the NAACP, a group that worked for the rights of African Americans.