Ashley Bryan, Langston Hughes, and World War II from the African American Perspective

Thursday, January 12, 2023, 5 PM

Tickets Options: Many of our digital programs are offered at low cost or free to the public. Please select the ticket price that best suits your needs and thank you for supporting our programming.

$25 Pay it Forward, reserve a Virtual Ticket and contribute towards keeping virtual programs accessible to those in need
$15 General Admission Virtual Ticket
$5  Limited Income Virtual Ticket
Free Reserve a free Virtual Ticket for Morgan Members, students with a valid ID, or request a free Public Ticket

Matthew F. Delmont
Drawing on his new book, Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad (Viking), historian Matthew F. Delmont (Dartmouth) explains what the wartime experiences of Langston Hughes and Ashley Bryan reveal about Black perspectives on the war.  Langston Hughes worked as a war correspondent for the Black press, telling the stories of Black volunteers who fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War.  Ashley Bryan was a teenager when he was drafted by the U.S. Army and assigned to a racially segregated service unit, which cleared mines and unloaded supplies during the D-Day invasion of Normandy.  Through their lives and art, Hughes and Bryan show why it is impossible to tell the history of World War II without Black Americans.

This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Ashley Bryan & Langston Hughes: Sail Away, on view through January 22, 2023.

Please note that this is a virtual program. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to participate using Zoom. We ask that you download the app in advance for the best user experience.

Please call (212) 685-0008 ext. 560 or e-mail tickets@themorgan.org for information.