A great wave of humiliation and shame swept over me. Shame that I belonged to a race that could be so dealt with; and shame for my country, that it, the great example of democracy to the world, should be the only civilized, if not the only state on earth, where a human being would be burned alive.
James Weldon JohnsonEvery race and every nation should be judged by the best it has been able to produce, not by the worst.
James Weldon JohnsonO Black and unknown bards of long ago, How came your lips to touch the sacred fire?
James Weldon JohnsonMy appearance was always good and my ability to play on the piano, especially ragtime, which was then at the height of its vogue, made me a welcome guest.
James Weldon Johnson