Spring Break
Historical interview captivates crowd
Kelley Kates
Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: Culture
Hughes said he would never talk about how he felt or who he knew in relation to communism, but when the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations led by McCarthy brought Hughes in front of them, he spoke.
"They thought I'd plead the fifth, but I didn't," he said. "They said they got their part said and I got my part said and we're square."
So that was that, he said.
History shows, following the incident, Hughes distanced himself from any affiliations with the Communist party.
When recalling some of his inspirations, Hughes noted writers such as W.E.B. DuBois, William Shakespeare and Chinua Achebe, a black writer who was heavily influenced by blues and jazz.
Speaking of blues and jazz, when Hughes was asked how he felt about Kansas City, he responded, "I love Kansas City. My love for it only grew as I grew to love jazz."
Hughes reflected on his admiration for the influential jazz musician and Kansas City native, Charlie Parker.
"He is the greatest bebop artist that ever lived," he said.
Hughes ended the evening's event with a passage from his poem "Let America Be America Again."
kkates@unews.com
"They thought I'd plead the fifth, but I didn't," he said. "They said they got their part said and I got my part said and we're square."
So that was that, he said.
History shows, following the incident, Hughes distanced himself from any affiliations with the Communist party.
When recalling some of his inspirations, Hughes noted writers such as W.E.B. DuBois, William Shakespeare and Chinua Achebe, a black writer who was heavily influenced by blues and jazz.
Speaking of blues and jazz, when Hughes was asked how he felt about Kansas City, he responded, "I love Kansas City. My love for it only grew as I grew to love jazz."
Hughes reflected on his admiration for the influential jazz musician and Kansas City native, Charlie Parker.
"He is the greatest bebop artist that ever lived," he said.
Hughes ended the evening's event with a passage from his poem "Let America Be America Again."
kkates@unews.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Trish
posted 5/04/09 @ 10:28 AM CST
Uh...are you crediting Hughes with having written "A Raisin in the Sun""? I think that was Lorraine Hanson.
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