“A people may become great through many means, but there is only one measure by which its greatness is recognized and acknowledged. The final measure of the greatness of all peoples is the amount and standard of the literature and art they have produced. The world does not know that a people is great until that people produce great literature and art. No people that have produced great literature and art has ever been looked upon by the world as distinctly inferior.” James Weldon Johnson On this premise, James Weldon Johnson set about to show the world that black people were indeed great because they had produced the requisite art and literature. For his proof, he identified the greatest black American poets of his time and compiled their best work into this anthology. The Book of American Negro Poetry showcases 30 black writers from the 1920’s, many of them powerhouses of the Harlem Renaissance movement, through 118 of their poems and songs. Johnson’s proof, as you will find in reading this volume, was complete as these poems are still insightful and pertinent and being read and enjoyed 100 years later. James Weldon Johnson, edited this anthology of African-American poetry, which was published in 1922. This edition is the 100th Anniversary edition. For this edition we: Added poet portraits, if they were available, - Expanded on the biographical information originally provided. - Formatted each poem for easy readability - Ensured multiple page poems were displayed on facing pages.