Biography
Margaret Walker Alexander was an African American poet, novelist, educator, and activist. Alexander was born on July 7, 1915, in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in New Orleans.
Alexander came from a home immersed in literature and was influenced by her grandmother’s stories of slavery, fueling a lifelong commitment to writing honestly and respectfully about African American life. She went on to receive a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in 1935, and later master’s (1940) and doctorate (1965) from the University of Iowa.
During the Great Depression, Alexander worked for the Federal Writers’ Project in Chicago. Her award-winning poetry collection, For My People (1942), celebrated Black resilience and won the Yale Younger Poets Prize, making her the first Black woman to receive the honor. Her only novel, Jubilee (1966), was a groundbreaking neo-slave narrative based on her great-grandmother’s life. The novel, developed over 30 years of research and writing, contributed significantly to African American historical fiction.
In addition to her writing, Alexander was deeply committed to advocating for Black culture and intellectual life. She mentored younger writers, promoted Black history through education, and founded programs dedicated to the study of African American life. She also pursued legal action to protect her intellectual property, including lawsuits against Alex Haley and the estate of Richard Wright. Though both cases were ultimately dismissed, they reflected her strong belief in the value and ownership of Black creative work.
Margaret Walker Alexander died of breast cancer on November 30, 1998.
Sources:
“Margaret Walker.” Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/margaret-walker
“Margaret Walker.” Poets.org. https://poets.org/poet/margaret-walker