Margaret Abigail Walker

1/10/08 Rodsheea Thomas

MARGARET ABIGAIL WALKER

Most people may have heard of Margaret Walker most do not know the history behind her and what has caused us a change in the better. Margaret Abigail Walker was born July 6, 1915 in Birmingham, Alabama (1915-1998). Walker said that she grew up in a talking family. At a young age she grew very interested in her peoples history. Walker went to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. When she graduated she went to Chicago, where Walker worked for the Federal Writers Project.

While working at Federal Writers’ Project. She worked her way up to the literary circle. After working there for four years, Walker left (W.F.P)
to go to the university of Iowa to purpose graduate study.

One of the poems in her first volume of poetry, for my people (1942), was her maters thesis. That poem right there won Margaret Walker the YALE YOUNGER POETS SERIES AWARD. FOR MY PEOPLE HAD ORIGNALLY APPEARED IN POERTY MAGAZINE, IN 1937. “No African American writer had yet produced poetry like this.” Not only was expressed in racial consciousness and protest, but also in its style.

Another one of her well-known work is Jubilee. It was about a slave family, and was based on the stories that Walker had heard about from her grandmother. That right their also made Margaret well known for her work.

As the years went by her people in different way. It was as mentioned written in a style that express the racial consciousness. When Walker had passed away more people seemed to take interest in talking about their heritages background. It also made people express themselves by telling the truth and being afraid if the Man was going to get them down for freedom of speech.