February is Black History Month, a celebration of the vibrant heritage of African Americans.

Born on this day in Joplin, Missouri and raised with a keen sense of social justice, author and poet James Langston Hughes (1902-1967) led the Harlem Renaissance, the exuberant artistic movement of the 1920s.

"What happens to a dream deferred?" he asked with classic poignancy. Hughes, influenced by poets Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, wrote his first poetry in high school.

"Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die/Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly," observed the man who said he wrote with "earthly pain" and "to explain and illuminate the Negro condition in America."

With his heart-felt writing, Hughes brought black art to true maturity for the first time. He celebrated the beauty of the soul. "I am a Negro...and beautiful!"

Passionately, Hughes celebrated with pride. With free verse that infused the blues and jazz rhythms, he captured the rich nuances of urban life.

"I stuck my head out the window this morning and spring kissed me bang in the face," said the prolific artist who wrote for 50 years, over 800 poems, screenplays, novels, and short stories.

"I swear to the Lord/I still can't see/Why democracy means/ Everybody but me."

Don't take but for an answer.