Category: The Wedding

The April 9, 1928 wedding between Yolande DuBois and Countee Cullen was the most important social event of the Harlem Renaissance.

The Wedding

April 9, 1929 DuBois Cullen Wedding

DrJinHarlem

Salem Methodist Episcopal Church, with Reverend Frederick Cullen as Pastor, was the site of the Easter Monday, April 9, 1928 wedding between Yolande DuBois, daughter of WEB and Nina DuBois, and Countee Cullen, adopted of Carolyn and Reverend Cullen. The nuptials were held at night. In his first biography The Big Sea, Langston Hughes described the wedding as follows: “The Countee Cullen wedding [italics mine] was another spectacle that had Harlem talking for a long time. . .It was the social -literary event of the season and very society.”

Langston Hughes and Arna Bontemps served as ushers ( see top row). Harold Jackman, to the right of Countee Cullen, was the best man. The pics are lovely but, for those in the know, the countdown to a divorce was on from the moment the couple said I do. For more detailed accounts, follow this blog. I will include material that I excluded from my publications. Some of this material will be in my biography of Harold Jackman. Also see the following resources.

RESOURCES

“Class, the Black Press, and the DuBois Cullen Wedding of 1928.” The Harlem Renaissance Revisited. Ed. Jeffrey Ogbar. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010. 79-104.

“Harold Jackman.” Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance. Vol. 1. Eds. Cary Wintz and Paul Finkelman. New York: Routledge, 2004.

“The Cullen-DuBois Wedding.” Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance. Vol. 1. Eds. Cary Wintz and Paul Finkelman. New York: Routledge, 2004.

The Wedding

Trying

DrJinHarlem

Bonjour. I will try to post my research on the Harlem Renaissance, particularly the contributions of Harold Jackman and Geraldyn Dismond, regularly. I have written a biography of Mr. Jackman and I am having lots of fun researching and writing about Geraldyn. Unfortunately I have two autoimmune diseases and other health issues that prevent me from being able to work every day. Thank you so much for checking the site. There will be a lot of material surrounding the April 9,1928 wedding between Yolande DuBois and Countee Cullen so stay tuned. Merci!

The Wedding

Harold at the Beaux Arts Ball 1959

DrJinHarlem

The 1959 Beaux Arts Ball was held on Friday, February 27th in the ballroom of the Concourse Plaza Hotel. The theme of the ball was Fantasy and Dreams. The annual Beaux Arts Ball was a major social event organized by the New York Guild of the National Urban League. Harold Jackman , frequently crowned King of the ball, escorted Guild’s president Mollie Moon. See Tanisha C. Ford’s biography Our Secret Society for more information about Mollie Moon. Also see Ebony’s May 1954 article on the Beaux Arts Ball.

The Wedding

OMG! Writing is fun

DrJinHarlem

Now that I finally have a sabbatical, I am having so much fun writing. I am honoring Mr. Jackman with this book and it must be great. Actually, it must be published. I know that it will change how the Harlem Renaissance is viewed. I am just having so much fun . I sooooo want to share, but it is all in the book. I am frustrated by the amazing amount of  incorrect information has been published about Mr. Jackman. I can’t wait for the book to be published. I will post the TOC soon. J

The Wedding

Changed Title

DrJinHarlem

Wow! I finally have time to revise my book. Figuring out how to present all of the information that I have uncovered has been difficult. When I get stuck, I watch a video of Mr. Jackman that I found. He continues to inspire me. I want to honor his enormous contributions with a  book that celebrates him. Harold Jackman should be seen as a teacher, model, writer, bibliophile, and community activist rather than being known only as Countee Cullen’s best friend (a statement which is usually followed by snickers, but Chapter 2 of my book will change that!) . I am in awe of how little time he had for himself. I feel extremely fortunate to have started this project when some of his friends were still alive and that I was able to speak with them.

I returned to my original title for the book because it just feels right.  Thanks for checking out the site. I hope to have a completely revised manuscript before I leave for France (mon vrai pays, le pays dans ma coeur).