Arna Bontemps Letter, exhibited at Los Angeles Central Library ©Author AdventuresArna Bontemps African-American Museum in Alexandria honors the birthplace of Arnaud “Arna” Bontemps, a writer of just about every type of literature — poetry, novels, children’s books, non-fiction, etc. He was born to a Creole family in Louisiana, and his parents wanted a better life for him than they experienced in their hometown.
He grew up in Watts, California, attended high school in San Francisco, then college in L.A., before accepting a teaching position in New York, where he became part of the Harlem Renaissance. His friends included Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and other writers.
Later, he earned a library science degree from the University of Chicago (1943), and then became even better known as a librarian (appointed to Fisk University) and an historian of African-American literature. He continued writing and editing throughout his life.
His children’s books include the award-winning Story of the Negro, Popo and Fifina, and God Sends Sunday.
The Arna Bontemps African-American Museum is located in the house where he was born and lived for the early years of his life. Even after spending most of his life in California, Bontemps always referred to the house in Alexandria as his home. In addition to the exhibits inside of the house, the front yard has a path that you can follow with signs along it explaining important parts of Bontemps’s life. Just make sure you double-check by phone that the museum will be open when you drop by, as the hours may change. Even if the museum is closed, you can still see the church where Arna Bontemps was baptized just a couple of blocks away, St. Francis Xavier Cathedral.
This is the seventh and last stop on our Louisiana Trail!