"Gwendolyn B. Bennett" (July 8,1902-May 30, 1981)

Was an African American writer who contributed to Opportunity,which chronicled cultural advancements in Harlem.Often over looked,she herself made considerable accomplishments in poetry and prose.She is perhaps best known for her short, story Wedding Day,which was published in the first issue of Fire!! She was born in Giddings,Texas to Josh and Mamie Bennett.Gwendolyn spent her early childhood in Wadsworth,Nevada on the Paiute Native American Reservation.Her parents taught in the Native American Service of Indian Affairs.In 1906 when she was four years old her family moved to 1454 T Street Northwest,Washington D.C.,so Joshua could study law and Mamie could train to be a a beautician.The move eventually led to her parents'divorce when Gwendolyn was seven years old.Mamie gained custody of Gwendolyn,however her father kidnapped  her and they lived in hiding,along with her stepmother, Marechal Neil,along the East Coast and Pennsylvania.Her  father eventually took them to New York where she attended Brooklyn's Girls High from 1918-1921.While attending Girl's High,she was awarded first place in a school wide art contest,and was the first African American to join the literary and drama societies.She wrote her high school play and was also featured as an actress.Gwendolyn also wrote both the class graduation speech and the words to the graduation song.After graduation in 1921 she began to take art classes at Columbia University and the Pratt Institute.In her undergraduate studies,Gwendolyn poem "Heritage"was published in Crisis in November, 1923 and also in December of the same year,her poem Heritage was included in Opportunity,a magazine published by the National Urban League.She graduated from both institutes in 1924 and in June of that  year ,started teaching design, watercolor and crafts at Howard University.A scholarship enabling her to study abroad in Paris,at Sorbonne,was awarded to Gwendolyn in December, 1924 she then continued her fine arts education at Academic Julian and Ecole du Pantheon in