Journal #20

Zora autobiography "Dust Tracks on a Road" tells us a little about where she came from and how those experiences helped her get to other places. Growing up in Eatonville, Fl Hurston wrote stories about her roots and eventually made a name for herself through them.

Zora is far from a typical writer, even by Harlem standards, she travelled a long road in order to establish her place among the famed Harlem Literati. She left home as a teenager and when she finally decided to get her high school degree she was already 26, so she lied about her birthday and remained 10 years older than the date on her school records. With a lot of help from her friends, Zora succeeded in her education. Provided with free room and board, given loans and votes of confidence from influential people, Zora attended Howard University (the black equivalent of Harvard), worked several jobs and wrote many wonderful stories and poems.

She was offered a job as a manicurist at an all white barbershop and established many important connections with its patrons. One specific memory she recalls in her biography is when a black man asked for a haircut. The owners threw him out, even though they too were colored. Zora wanted him out as well because a black customer threatened the success of the shop, meaning her own welfare. It was only later thinking back that she questioned their actions. She had been only thinking of herself when that man walked in, but really her race was enforcing and implementing the Jim Crow laws that they should be resisting. She learned a lesson that day, people will think of themselves first, making sure that they can make a living before making any moves to benefit their race.

Zora's biggest influence at Howard was Dr. Lorenzo Dow. He inspired her to become an English teacher. Illness and insubstantial funds led her to drop out after 1 1/2 years. After she left Charles Johnson took her under her wing and published her story "Spunk." Later she travelled to New York, became Fannie Hurst's secretary and enrolled at Barnard as the first African American student in the college.

Hurston was approached by an editor from the J.B. Lippincott Co, they were interested in publishing a book. She told them she was working on one (even though she did not have one word written for it at the time). She spent three months barely scraping a living until she finished "Jonah's Gourd Vine." Zora was infamous for her money troubles and sure enough when she completed her book she did not have the funds to type it. A friend who read her novel agreed to do her the favor after determining that they would surely publish the book. After it was typed Zora only had to send it to the publishing company, however she could not afford the postage. She was lent the money from another friend on the condition she pay it back. Once Zora needed a nickel to go downtown. She took it from a blind beggar on the street saying "I need this more than you do today," and headed on her way. She has no problem borrowing money from anyone. Luckily, she recieved a wire telling her that Lippencott wanted to publish the book and Hurston had her very first book under her belt.

Hurston, Zora. "Dust Tracks on a Road." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 142-155.