![]() ![]() “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man” masterfully explores the complexity of race relations between whites and blacks in America and the search for racial identity by one of mixed ethnicity. After witnessing a terribly horrific lynching he abandons his desire to embrace his black heritage opting instead to “pass” as a white man. He travels to the south where he intends to work on his music in an attempt to glorify the artistry of his race. ![]() While he becomes friends with the man a feeling of subservience reminiscent of slavery prompts him to part ways. It is here that he catches the attention of a wealthy white gentleman who takes a curious interest in him and employs him to play at his parties. The so-called “Ex-Colored” man makes his living as a jazz pianist playing ragtime music at a popular New York club. First published anonymously in 1912, “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man” is James Weldon’s Johnson fictional account of a young biracial man living in America during the second half of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century. ![]()
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