Zora Neale Hurston Accomplishments

In American literature, Zora Neale Hurston is considered one of the most outstanding and memorable African American writers. While pursuing her work in the midst of the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston was acknowledged as the first modern African American to collect and publish folklore. Along with being a folklorist, she was also an anthropologist, novelist, and short story writer. In 1937, her most recognizable novel Their Eyes Were Watching God was published, and quickly became her greatest success. Hurston experienced hardships and criticism not many can say they overcame. Yet, she continued to persevere, aspire, and grow. Unfortunately, by the time she died in 1960, all of her work was out of print and for many years she was forgotten. Despite this downfall, in the late 1970s her work was introduced to a new generation and from then on she has been a fixture in American literature.
Hurston was notorious for her spunky, yet determined personality. She was the talk of the town and lit up every room she walked into. Although growing up in the all black community of Eatonville, she still experienced racial segregation and the hardships that came along with racism. Instead of fighting against this segregation, Hurston was an advocate for it. She believed that African Americans had a lot to
While being so fond of Hurston, “in 1973, the writer Alice Walker placed a granite tombstone in the cemetery in the vicinity of Hurston’s unmarked grave” (Ayorinde). Walker decided to take it upon herself to bring Hurston’s work back to life, and felt that "unless I came out with everything I had supporting her, there was every chance that she would slip back into obscurity." Many would say that Hurston is profoundly grateful for what Walker had done, and would have certainly argued that she deserved no