Feminist to Know: Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston was an American writer, anthropologist, and folklorist who helped shape the way Black life and culture are represented in literature. She is now seen as a key figure in Black feminist thought, known for her powerful storytelling and her deep commitment to preserving African American traditions.
Hurston was born in 1891 in Alabama but grew up in Eatonville, Florida—one of the first all-Black towns in the U.S. Eatonville became a major influence in her writing, as it was a place where Black people ran their own government and lived independently. After working a variety of jobs, Hurston attended Howard University and later transferred to Barnard College in New York City, where she studied anthropology—the science of people and cultures.
Her most famous novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), follows a Black woman named Janie as she searches for love, freedom, and a voice of her own. The novel is now considered a classic of both African American and feminist literature. But Hurston didn’t just write novels—she also collected Black folktales, songs, and religious practices in the American South and the Caribbean.
Though she was part of the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston often stood apart from other writers of the time. She refused to write stories that focused only on Black struggle or that were designed to please white readers. Instead, she showed everyday Black life—especially the lives of women—with honesty, humor, and pride. Because of this, her work was sometimes overlooked or criticized during her lifetime.
Hurston died in 1960 in relative poverty, and for years her work was largely forgotten. But in the 1970s, writer Alice Walker helped bring her legacy back into the spotlight, and today, Hurston is celebrated as a groundbreaking voice in literature and culture.
Zora Neale Hurston believed that Black lives—especially Black women’s lives—deserved to be told in full color, not just through pain, but also through joy, beauty, and strength. Her work continues to inspire readers, writers, and feminists around the world.
— Intern Naomi