Zora Neale Hurston once fibbed about her age to receive her high school diploma. She later earned an Associate’s Degree from Howard University (1920) and a Bachelor’s in Anthropology from Barnard College (1928).
In fact, she co-founded Howard University’s newspaper, The Hilltop, and was the first Black graduate from Barnard College.
Hurston did what she had to do to make it in life in her unique way. She made no excuses for her circumstances, such as her mother’s early death or her challenging relationship with her father.
Instead, she pivoted and used her wit, God-given talents, and education to guide her life and work. In a March 1943 letter to Countee Cullen, she expressed, “I have the nerve to walk my own way, however hard, in my search for reality, rather than climb upon the rattling wagon of wishful illusions.”
Zora Neale Hurston took chances to make it in life
Zora Neale Hurston was born on January 7, 1891 in Notasulga, Alabama. As a child, her family relocated to Eatonville, Florida, the oldest Black-incorporated municipality in the United States, established by African American freedmen.
Hurston was a Southerner through and through. She described her earlier self as a people watcher intrigued by the gossip and stories within her community.
As a teenager, Zora’s father removed her from the home, which forced her into the workforce. But, she always longed to continue her education.
Women were subjected to objectification, hyper-sexualization, seen as domestic workers, and could not vote. Yet, Hurston courageously discovered her passions.
Through her letters, literature, ethnographic studies, and overall work Hurston gave the world a glimpse of her soul’s point of view.
In total, Hurston wrote over 25 short stories, books, and essays, along with countless articles and plays. Her focal point centered around Black life and culture, particularly in the South and Caribbean.
Genuine friendships were also important to Zora Neale Hurston. She wrote to Countee Cullen, “I am always proud to have a word of praise from you because your friendship means a great deal to me. It means so much to me because I have never known you to make an insincere move, neither for personal gain, nor for malice growing out of jealousy of anyone else.”
Her ideology on Black liberation was indeed the radical truth. “My stand is this: either we must do something about it that the white man will understand and respect, or shut up. No whiner ever got any respect or relief. If some of us must die for human justice, then let us die,” she said.
Zora Neale Hurston also traveled to Haiti, Jamaica, Honduras, and the Bahamas. With her Caribbean and Central America travels, she further connected and learned about the African Diaspora.
Throughout life, Hurston advocated for herself and “jumped at de’ sun,” like her mother encouraged.
The power of the pen
Hurston was forward thinking and realistically raw in her approach to storytelling, interactions, and interviewing. She understood that Black people’s history, folklore, and religious beliefs held value through our lens. “A careful study of Negro churches by Negroes will show that the Negro is not a Christian but is still a pagan,” she wrote.
Although Zora Neale Hurston wore many hats, she thoroughly enjoyed writing. “I have done a series of five folk concerts here in the last six weeks and picked up a little money that way. I could do more, but it takes from my writing time,” she wrote in a letter to Jean Waterbury.
In addition, Hurston’s approach to ethnography and anthropology included self-immersion and honoring participants as experts of their lives.
She also understood the challenges Black culture faced. “You see, the Negro is not living his lore to the extent of the Indian. He is not on a reservation being kept pure. His negroeness is being rubbed off by close contact with white culture.”
Zora Neale Hurston wrote on many topics, some of which intersected with one another, like human rights and Black dignity.
Hurston’s perspective on race relations in America
When speaking about race, she stood firm in her beliefs about the relationship between Black and white people. “Personally, I have no desire for white association except where I am sought, and the pleasure is mutual. That feeling grows out of my own self-respect. However blue the eye or yellow the hair, I see no glory to myself in the contact unless there is something more than the accident of race.”
In her letter to Cullen, she further discussed how white liberals took offense to her stance and the implications of white people recruiting Black folks to marry. Hurston believed that Black people who became enamored by the white “admiration” gaze did not have a backbone to stand on.
Furthermore, her views on Americanization in 1943 ring true in 2025, “I know that the Anglo-Saxon mentality is one of violence. Violence is his religion. He has gained everything he has by it, and respects nothing else.”
Although Hurston understood the significance of the world surrounding her near and far, she was more concerned with pleasing her soul’s path. “I mean to live and die by my own mind,” she expressed.
Zora Neale Hurston’s life and writings teach us to stand firm in our Blackness while finding and maintaining peace by fulfilling the soul’s needs.
Suggested Readings about Zora Neale Hurston:
- His Eyes Were Watching Her: Papa Franz Boas, Zora Neale Hurston, and Anthropology
- The Timeline of Zora Neale Hurston
- What Happened When Zora Neale Hurston Studied Voodoo in Haiti?
- Zora Neale Hurston’s letter to Countee Cullen
- Zora Neale Hurston’s letter to Jean Waterbury
- Zora Neale Hurston Plays at the Library of Congress
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