Melvin tolson biography
Melvin tolson biography
Arthur tolson!
Melvin B. Tolson
American poet, educator and politician (1898–1966)
Melvin Beaunorus Tolson (February 6, 1898 – August 29, 1966) was an American poet, educator, columnist, and politician.
As a poet, he was influenced both by Modernism and the language and experiences of African Americans, and he was deeply influenced by his study of the Harlem Renaissance.[1]
As a debate coach at the historically blackWiley College in Marshall, Texas, Tolson led a team that pioneered interracial college debates against white colleges in the segregated South.[2] This work was depicted in the 2007 biopic The Great Debaters, produced by Oprah Winfrey, starring and directed by Denzel Washington as Tolson.[2][3]
Early life and education
Born in Moberly, Missouri, Tolson was one of four children of Reverend Alonzo Tolson, a Methodist minister, and Lera (Hurt) Tolson, a seamstress.[4] Alonzo Tolson was of mixed race, the son of an enslaved woma