Despite the progress made in civil rights movements, many individuals still find themselves the victims of prejudice and discrimination. From police corruption to the rise of the alt-right, to even the increasing hate crimes against minorities, many have turned to protests to stop these crimes, while others have turned to literature. One of these activists was Zora Neale Hurston.

Hurston was born in Florida in 1894. Her mother was a teacher, and her father a former preacher turned carpenter. She had a relatively normal upbringing, though she took note of the differences between herself and her peers, which she later wrote in an essay, How It Feels to Be Colored Me. She would later attend Howard University, where she began her academic research in anthropology and sociology. Soon after, she traveled to the Caribbean islands, where she would continue her research in paramour rights, as well as the relationship between white men and black women.

One of her notable feats as a freelance writer was when she covered the trial of Ruby McCollum, a black woman who was convicted of murdering a white doctor. Because of the circumstances surrounding the trial, as well as her previous research on the relationship between white men and black women, Hurston decided to investigate. However, when she arrived at the town, no one would talk with her, black or white. Eventually, Ruby McCollum was sentenced to death, convicted by an all-white male jury. Hurston was to write an account of the trial in the Pittsburgh Courier, but due to disagreements on her pay, it was never published.

Despite this, she didn’t give up on the case. She had William Bradford Huie cover the second case, which resulted in the book Ruby McCollum: Woman in the Suwannee Jail, though he only gave her minimal credit. Hurston, however, praised McCollum, saying that it was the first time a black woman spoke out against the oppressive nature of white men. As such, her testimony sounded the death knell of so-called paramour rights in the South and marked a new era for civil rights movements.

After years of publishing, Hurston died at St. Lucie County Welfare Home in 1960. She was buried in an unmarked grave until Charlotte D. Hunt and Alice Walker found it and marked it with the lines, “A Genius of the South.” In spite of her achievements, someone did order her papers to be burned. However, another friend of hers, Patrick DuVal, managed to put out the fire and protect her work until it could be preserved at the University of Florida.

Zora Neale Hurston has written many works that have inspired several people. From Moses, Man of the Mountain, to the critically acclaimed Their Eyes Were Watching God, many of her works have been covered by The Saturday Evening Post and The American Mercury. Unfortunately, while she was alive, many have criticized her for putting African American dialect in her stories. However, she gained posthumous recognition, which included the Zora Neale Huston Museum of Fine Arts, and was accepted to the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Today, she is regarded as one of the best African American writers of all time and continues to be one of the most influential voices in black civil rights history.