The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

by James Weldon Johnson

"The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" by James Weldon Johnson is a novel published in 1912. It follows a biracial man navigating post-Reconstruction America who can pass as either Black or white. After witnessing a lynching and experiencing racial violence, he makes a fateful choice about his identity and future. The narrator abandons his dream of celebrating Black culture through ragtime music, choosing safety and advancement over authenticity. This groundbreaking work explores race, class, and the cost of denying one's heritage.