Library Use of Hughes Poem

I think what Langston Hughes would want us to remember about him are those things that he worked so hard to achieve; among them, his inventive, timeless body of poetry and prose, his contribution to U.S. culture, his international literary influence, his courageous stand against racism and his amazingly resilient belief in equality and the goodness of human beings.

Since Hughes was low-key about his sexual preference, and his romantic life in general--as Arnold Rampersad pointed out in his thorough biography “The Life of Langston Hughes”--can’t we just accept him on his own terms and appreciate him for the remarkable artist and inspirational man that he was? If his sexual preferences and romantic life had been a basis for his work, then I could understand the attention given to his sexuality. But that was not the case. I do hope his work is not overlooked in this controversy, because that is what he would have wanted us to remember.

NINA LENART

West Hollywood