James Weldon Johnson was an American civil rights activist, author, poet, educator and lawyer, best known for raising voice against racial prejudice. He was born in the late 19th century in the southern USA and was brought up in a colored household, which was broadly cultured and economically secured. It was while studying at the ‘Atlanta University’ that he first became aware of the magnitude of racial discrimination in the country and resolved to do something for the African-American community. He began his career as a teacher at a segregated secondary school in his hometown, Jacksonville. After being promoted to the position of the principal, he worked very hard to turn it into a high school. Concurrently, he studied law and became the first colored person to enter the Florida Bar. Later, he moved to New York City, where he established himself as a songwriter on Broadway, which was dominated by white people. He is best remembered as a ‘National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’ (NAACP) leader, who fought relentlessly for the rights of his people.