Any musical person who has never heard a Negro congregation under the spell of religious fervor sing these old songs has missed one of the most thrilling emotions which the human heart may experience.

Johnson is remembered best for his leadership within the NAACP as well as for his writing which includes novels poems and collections of folklore. James Weldon Johnson (June 17 1871 – June 26 1938) was an American author politician diplomat critic journalist poet anthologist educator lawyer songwriter and early civil rights activist.