Black History Month is in full swing and we would be remiss if we didnt chime in and highlight some amazing African Americans who have inspired us.  While there are countless people we could highlight, I thought I would stick with some people who contributed to Fashion and The Arts.

First up, is Author Richard Wright. Richard was born in Moxie, Mississippi in 1908 and was a major literary talent. He tended to write portrayals of youth growing up in extreme poverty and who often faced major hardships and racial persecution.  Very apropos for the time and very close to his own experiences.

In fact his acclaimed novel, Black Boy was a memoir/autobiography about his own experiences growing up in the south and living in Chicago as a young adult.

He is best known for his book Native Son, which is commonly read in schools all across the US and I personally read it back in the 7th grade. It clearly identified a system that was so broken at the time and it really struck a chord with me. Wright was so disenfranchised during his life, that he actually joined The Communist Party and ended up living in Mexico for 6+ years and then later finished his life as an Ex-pat in France in 1960.

He is not often spoken about during BHM due to some of those political decisions, but he most certainly left an indelible mark on the literary scene.