Langston Hughes' spectacular talent for poetry began on February 1, 1902 when he was born in the small town of Joplin, Missouri. Through Langston Hughes' contribution to poetry, he truly inspired a generation of children and adults to follow the meaning of his poetry. He also contributed immensely to the historical period known as the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes is the face of the Harlem Renaissance today, showing children and adults what it was like to grow up in Harlem and the fight of African Americans for equality there. The focus will be on his life and legacy, his fight for racial equality, some famous figures who used his works in their speeches, and his work in the Harlem Renaissance. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As previously stated, Hughes used his gift in poetry to fight for equality for his African American brothers and sisters. Some famous people who fought for equality used his poetry in their speeches. One example is how the face of the civil rights movement in America used his poetry, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His favorite poem to use in his speeches was his poem “Mother to Son.” It's about a mother giving her son a motivational speech about achieving his goals and aspirations in life. This results in Dr. King's goal of achieving social equality for African-Americans in the United States. For example, King used one of Hughes' poems by name on June 27, 1956 at the NAACP conference in San Francisco, California. King read the poem and used it as an example to continue the fight for racial equality. The poem helped bring his speech to life, a deeper meaning, and left the audience thinking about the meaning of the poem and how it relates to his message. Additionally, Hughes wrote a poem about King and Rosa Parks. The poem is titled “Brotherly Love”. He writes that he does not want to punish the white citizens of the South who have harassed him, that he wants to "reach out" his hand and live in harmony. He also mentions that he won't sit on the back of the bus in Montgomery, alluding to the incident that happened with Rosa Parks. His literature helped show those who opposed the civil rights movement that all they want is peace and equality for all, as promised to all citizens in our Constitution. His works to promote equality have also caused negative reactions. Hughes was brought to a hearing before Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy was well known for indicting prominent figures of communism, and Hughes was one of them for his work. So, as she fought for equality, she put her career on the line and was not afraid in the face of these false accusations. Although his writings on race are well known, Hughes's claim to fame is the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a period in the 1920s when a huge influx of talent through poetry, acting, singing and more came from Harlem to New York City and shocked the world. Although Hughes was not born in Harlem, he moved there and became intrigued by this talent and decided to test himself. He wrote about Harlem and what he saw there. However, one particularly intriguing story is "Thank You, Ma'am." This is the story of a little boy named Roger. Roger didn't have much money and was trying to fit in by buying a pair of blue suede shoes. He decided to help them steal from an elderly woman's bag at night. However, he had met Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. She wouldn't give up without a fight. He caught him and took him to.”