The Langston Hughes Medal is awarded to highly distinguished writers from throughout the African diaspora for their impressive works of poetry, fiction, drama, autobiography and critical essays that help to celebrate the memory and tradition of

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harl ...

. Each year, the Langston Hughes Festival's Advisory Committee and board reviews the work of major black writers from Africa and the African diaspora whose work is assessed as likely having a lasting impact on world literature.""Langston Hughes Festival"
The City College of New York. A medallion has been awarded annually at the Langston Hughes Festival, the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

since 1978.

Langston Hughes Festival

The Langston Hughes Festival is an annual celebration that began in 1973 and it was created to honor the life and work of the Poet laureate, leader of the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics, and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the ti ...

, and American literary icon

(1902-1967). Initially produced by the Department of English, City College of New York, the Festival was founded, directed and sustained by Professor Emeritus Raymond R. Patterson (1929-2001) during his twenty-five years with the Department. Other key founders of the festival are Professor Nathaniel Norment, Jerome brooks, alongside the inaugural Coral-Speaking Festival Coordinator, Jeanette Adams. Established to bring the great writers of the African-American experience and the international

African diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from List of ethnic groups of Africa, people from Africa. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the native West Africa, West and Central Africans who were ...

to the City College of New York and at other venues around

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and to encourage creative activity, the festival dedicated itself to the

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

community, in honor of Hughes' long time residence. The festival is typically a one or two-day affair that includes musical interludes, film screenings, student performances, panel discussions, and dramatic productions. In addition to awarding the Langston Hughes medallion, the festival offers conferences and symposia, where distinguished scholars from around the country and the world are invited to discuss Black literature and the arts. In addition, the festival sponsors the Langston Hughes Choral-Speaking Festival, an event that draws 300-400 young scholars from New York City public schools to creatively recite or enact Hughes’ poetry. As of 2024, The Langston Hughes Festival is produced by the Black Studies Department, City College of New York.

Mission

The Langston Hughes Festival has been in existence since 1973. Its mission is to celebrate and expand upon the literary legacy of the Poet Laureate of Harlem, New York,

. The Langston Hughes Medal is awarded to the most distinguished writers associated with the African diaspora. The medal is presented as the culmination of a day of salons, scholarly conferences and symposia, and artistic expression in celebration of the legacy of Langston Hughes, as well as a creative performance in tribute to the honoree and an interview of and reading by the honoree.

The Medal

While the Langston Hughes Festival was created in 1973, the idea of the medallion was conceived and awarded for the first time in 1978 to

James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (né Jones; August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer and civil rights activist who garnered acclaim for his essays, novels, plays, and poems. His 1953 novel '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'' has been ranked ...

. On March 17, 1978, James Baldwin spoke at his “homecoming tribute” and was presented with the Martin Luther King Memorial Medal for his “lifelong dedication to humanitarian ideals.” Since April 1984, when

Ralph Ellison Ralph Waldo Ellison (March 1, 1913 – April 16, 1994) was an American writer, literary critic, and scholar best known for his novel '' Invisible Man'', which won the National Book Award in 1953. Ellison wrote '' Shadow and Act'' (1964), a co ...

was honored, the festival began to present each honoree with the Langston Hughes medallion. The tradition continued, and the Langston Hughes Medal is awarded annually at the Langston Hughes Festival to highly distinguished writers from throughout the African American diaspora for their impressive works of poetry, fiction, drama, autobiography and critical essays that help to celebrate the memory and tradition of Langston Hughes. Created by Lawrence F. Sykes of

Rhode Island College Rhode Island College (RIC) is a public college in Rhode Island, United States, with much of the land in Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, and other parts in North Providence, Rhode Island, North Providence. The college was established in 18 ...

, the bronze medal's design was based on a photograph in the Langston Hughes papers at Yale University (courtesy of the late George Houston Bass, executor of the Langston Hughes estate). Each year, the Langston Hughes’ Advisory Committee and Board reviews the work of major black writers from Africa to America whose work is accessed as likely having a lasting impact on world literature. Past award winners include

Gwendolyn Brooks Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000) was an American poet, author, and teacher. Her work often dealt with the personal celebrations and struggles of ordinary people in her community. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poet ...

Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist and editor. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically accl ...

August Wilson August Wilson (né Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of 10 plays, collectively called '' ...

Wole Soyinka Wole Soyinka , (born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian author, best known as a playwright and poet. He has written three novels, ten collections of short stories, seven poetry collections, twenty five plays and five memoirs. He also wrote two transla ...

, Derek Walcott, Octavia E. Butler, and

Edwidge Danticat Edwidge Danticat (; born January 19, 1969) is a Haitian American novelist and short story writer. Her first novel, '' Breath, Eyes, Memory'', was published in 1994 and went on to become an Oprah's Book Club selection. Danticat has since written ...

. Writers selected for this award receive the Langton Hughes Medal, an honorarium and an invitation to attend the Langston Hughes Festival Award Ceremony in the Marian Anderson Theatre at Aaron Davis Hall at The City College of New York in Harlem. Langston_Hughes_Medallion

2025 Langston Hughes Medal

In 2024, the Langston Hughes Festival announced the 2025 Langston Hughes Medalist is

Roxane Gay Roxane Gay (born October 15, 1974) is an American writer, professor, editor, and social commentator. Gay is the author of ''The New York Times'' best-selling essay collection ''Bad Feminist'' (2014), as well as the short story collection ''Ayiti ...

. The festival will take place February 13–14, 2025. The theme is Black Love Day, a celebration that takes place on February 13.

Previous recipients of Langston Hughes Medallion

Recipients of the Langston Hughes medallion are: *

(1978) *

(1979) * John Oliver Killens (1980) *

Toni Cade Bambara Toni Cade Bambara, born Miltona Mirkin Cade (March 25, 1939 – December 9, 1995), was an African-American author, documentary film-maker, social activist and college professor. Early life and education Miltona Mirkin Cade was born in Harlem, ...

(1981) *

Paule Marshall Paule Marshall (April 9, 1929 – August 12, 2019) was an American writer, best known for her 1959 debut novel '' Brown Girl, Brownstones''. In 1992, at the age of 63, Marshall was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship grant. Life and career Marshall wa ...

(1981) *

(1981) * Sterling A. Brown (1982) * Margaret Walker Alexander (1983) * Ralph W. Ellison (1984) * Raymond R. Patterson (1986) * Dennis Brutus (1987) *

Alice Walker Alice Malsenior Tallulah-Kate Walker (born February 9, 1944) is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist. In 1982, she became the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which she was awa ...

(1988) *

Amiri Baraka Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism. He was the author of numerous b ...

(1989) * Alice Childress (1990) *

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credi ...

(1991) *

(1992) *

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; born Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as a central figure of modern African literature. His first novel ''Things Fall Apart'' ( ...

(1993) * Ernest Gaines (1994) *

Ishmael Reed Ishmael Scott Reed (born February 22, 1938) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, songwriter, composer, playwright, editor and publisher known for his Satire, satirical works challenging American political culture. Perhaps his best-known wor ...

(1995) *

Nikki Giovanni Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. (June 7, 1943 – December 9, 2024) was an American poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator. One of the world's best-known African-American poets, her work includes poetry anthologies, poetry recor ...

(1996) * Albert Murray (1997) * George Lamming (1998) * Sonia Sanchez (1999) *

(2000) * Jayne Cortez (2001) * Derek Walcott (2002) * Lucille Clifton (2003) * James A. Emanuel (2003) * Sekou Sundiata (2003) * Arnold Rampersad (2003) *

John Edgar Wideman John Edgar Wideman (born June 14, 1941) is an American novelist, short story writer, memoirist, and essayist. He was the first person to win the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction twice. His writing is known for experimental techniques and a focus o ...

(2004) *

Octavia Butler Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction writer who won several awards for her works, including Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards. In 1995, Butler became the first science-fiction writer to recei ...

(2005) * Gregory H. Williams (2008) *

(2011) *

Walter Mosley Walter Ellis Mosley (born January 12, 1952) is an American novelist, most widely recognized for his crime fiction. He has written a series of best-selling historical mysteries featuring the hard-boiled detective Easy Rawlins, a black private in ...

(2014) * Jacqueline Woodson (2015) * Ntozake Shange (2016) *

Zadie Smith Zadie Smith (born Sadie; 25 October 1975) is an English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. Her debut novel, ''White Teeth'' (2000), immediately became a best-seller and won a number of awards. She became a tenured professor in the ...

(2017) *

Hilton Als Hilton Als (born 1960) is an American writer and theater critic. He is a teaching professor at the University of California, Berkeley, an associate professor of writing at Columbia University and a staff writer and theater critic for ''The New Yo ...

(2018) *

Rita Dove Rita Frances Dove (born August 28, 1952) is an American poet and essayist. From 1993 to 1995, she served as United States Poet Laureate, Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. She is the first African American to have bee ...

(2019) *

Michael Eric Dyson Michael Eric Dyson (born October 23, 1958) is an American academic, author, Baptist minister, and radio host. He is a professor in the College of Arts and Science and in the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University. Described by Michael A. Fletche ...

(2020) * Jamaica Kincaid (2021) *

Lynn Nottage Lynn Nottage (born November 2, 1964) is an American playwright whose work often focuses on the experience of working-class people, particularly working-class people who are black. She has received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice: in 2009 for he ...

(2023) *

Colson Whitehead Arch Colson Chipp Whitehead (born November 6, 1969) is an American novelist. He is the author of nine novels, including his 1999 in literature, 1999 debut ''The Intuitionist''; ''The Underground Railroad (novel), The Underground Railroad'' (2016) ...

(2024)

Ex-Officio and Past Chair of the Festival

Raymond R. Patterson, Jo-Ann Hamilton, Victoria Chevalier, Gordon Thompson, Retha Powers, and Vanessa K. Valdés

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Langston Hughes Festival Award

List of Medallion Recipients
American literary awards Awards honoring African Americans Awards established in 1978 Literary awards honoring minority groups African diaspora African-American literature