James Mercer Langston Hughes, commonly known as Langston Hughes, was an influential African-American writer of the 1920s, a period marked by pervasive racial discrimination. He is best known for his contributions to the Harlem Renaissance. Despite a difficult childhood, Hughes overcame his difficulties and became a renowned Renaissance poet, a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations. Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His parents, James Hughes and Carrie Langston, divorced when he was very young. After the divorce, his father moved to Cuba and his mother moved in search of work. As a result, Langston was raised by his maternal grandmother until her death when he was still a teenager. For the next two years he lived with family friends. Eventually, his mother returned to care for him and offer him a better future. He and his mother settled in Cleveland, Ohio, when his teacher first introduced him to famous works of poetry. The teacher introduced him to the poetry of Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, who would later become inspirational figures for him. Langston Hughes contributed to his school by writing for the school newspaper, editing the yearbook, and began writing his first short stories, poems, and plays. "When Sue Wears Red" was Langston's first piece of jazz poetry that he wrote while in high school. "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" was Langston Hughes's first major published poem, receiving high praise. It became his signature poem and was published in The Crisis in 1921, a year after it was written. In 1925, while working as a waiter in a Washington, D.C. hotel restaurant, Langston Hughes met Vachel Lindsay, an American poet, who discovered his talent in poetry. Lindsay used his contacts to promote Hughes' poetry, which helped bring it to a wider audience. Another recognized poem by Hughes was "The Weary Blues", which won first place in the Opportunity Magazine literary contest in 1925. As a result, Hughes received a scholarship to attend Lincoln University in Pennsylvania..