The Book of American Negro Poetry is a significant poetry anthology compiled by James Weldon Johnson and first published in 1922. This anthology was groundbreaking as it was the first of its kind to showcase the works of African American poets. The collection includes poems from 31 poets, such as Paul Laurence Dunbar, James Weldon Johnson, Claude McKay, and Georgia Douglas Johnson.
The anthology was published during the Harlem Renaissance, a period of cultural revival for African American arts and literature. Johnson's goal was to highlight the artistic contributions of African Americans and improve their status by making their literature known to the general public2.