Marita Bonner
Encyclopedia
Marita Bonner (also known as Marieta Bonner) was an African American
writer, essay
ist, and playwright
who is commonly associated with the Harlem Renaissance
. She was also known as Marita Occomy, Marita Odette Bonner, Marita Odette Bonner Occomy, Marita Bonner Occomy, Joseph Maree Andrew.
to Joseph and Anne Noel Bonner. She was one of four children and lived in a middle class community in Massachusetts. Marita attended Brookline High School
where she contributed to the school magazine, The Sagamore. She also was a very talented pianist and excelled in Music and German. In 1918, she graduated from Brookline High School and enrolled in Radcliffe College
where she commuted to campus because many African American students were denied dormitory accommodations. While in college she majored in English and Comparative Literature. In addition to her majors, she continued to study German and musical composition. In addition to her studies, Bonner was a charter member of a chapter of the black sorority, Delta Sigma Theta
and taught at a high school in Cambridge.
After finishing her schooling in 1922, Bonner continued to teach at Bluefield Colored Institute
in West Virginia. Two years later, she took on a position at Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C.
, until 1930. While teaching at Armstrong High school, Bonner's mother and father both died suddenly. While in Washington, Maria became closely associated with poet, playwright, and composer Georgia Douglas Johnson
. Johnson's "S" street salon was an important meeting place for many of the writers and artists who were involved in the New Negro Renaissance. While living in Washington, Marita met William Almy Occomy. Bonner and Occomy got married and moved to Chicago
where Bonner's writing career took off. She began teaching again in the 1940s and finally retired in 1963.
Bonner died in 1971 from smoke inhalation complications at a hospital after her apartment caught fire. She was 73.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
writer, essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
ist, and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
who is commonly associated with the Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
. She was also known as Marita Occomy, Marita Odette Bonner, Marita Odette Bonner Occomy, Marita Bonner Occomy, Joseph Maree Andrew.
Life
Marita Bonner was born in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to Joseph and Anne Noel Bonner. She was one of four children and lived in a middle class community in Massachusetts. Marita attended Brookline High School
Brookline High School
Brookline High School is a four-year public high school in the town of Brookline, Massachusetts, in the United States.As of the 2007-08 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,826 students and 136 teachers , for a student-teacher ratio of 13.4 to 1 teacher.-Education:Almost every senior in...
where she contributed to the school magazine, The Sagamore. She also was a very talented pianist and excelled in Music and German. In 1918, she graduated from Brookline High School and enrolled in Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
where she commuted to campus because many African American students were denied dormitory accommodations. While in college she majored in English and Comparative Literature. In addition to her majors, she continued to study German and musical composition. In addition to her studies, Bonner was a charter member of a chapter of the black sorority, Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
and taught at a high school in Cambridge.
After finishing her schooling in 1922, Bonner continued to teach at Bluefield Colored Institute
Bluefield State College
Bluefield State College is a historically black college located in Bluefield, West Virginia, United States. It is a part of West Virginia's public education system and offers baccalaureate and associate degrees. The school is not connected in any way with Bluefield College in nearby Bluefield,...
in West Virginia. Two years later, she took on a position at Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, until 1930. While teaching at Armstrong High school, Bonner's mother and father both died suddenly. While in Washington, Maria became closely associated with poet, playwright, and composer Georgia Douglas Johnson
Georgia Douglas Johnson
Georgia Blanche Douglas Camp Johnson better known as Georgia Douglas Johnson was an American poet and a member of the Harlem Renaissance.-Early life and education:...
. Johnson's "S" street salon was an important meeting place for many of the writers and artists who were involved in the New Negro Renaissance. While living in Washington, Marita met William Almy Occomy. Bonner and Occomy got married and moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
where Bonner's writing career took off. She began teaching again in the 1940s and finally retired in 1963.
Bonner died in 1971 from smoke inhalation complications at a hospital after her apartment caught fire. She was 73.
Works
Throughout her life, Bonner wrote many short stories, essays, and plays. After her parents death, Bonner wrote her first essay, "On Being Young-A Woman-And Colored" which addressed the negative conditions that black Americans, especially black women, had to endure during this time. This essay was published in 1925 and encourages black women to dwell on their problems but to outsmart negative situations. Bonner also wrote several short stories from 1925-1927. "The Prison-Bound", "Nothing New", "One Boy's Story" and "Drab Rambles". Bonner also wrote three plays, "Pot Maker," "The Purple Flower - A Play" and "Exit, an Illusion". Her most famous play was "The Purple Flower" which portrays black liberation. Many of Bonner's later works such as "Light in Dark Places" dealt with poverty, poor housing, and color discrimination in the black communities, and shows the influence that the urban environment as on black communities. After marrying Occomy, Bonner began to write under her married name. Her short stories explored a multicultural universe filled with people drawn by the promises of urban life. After 1941, Bonner quit publishing her works and devoted her time to her family.Bonner's Influences on the Harlem Renaissance
Bonner contributed a variety of things to the Harlem Renaissance. Her writings addressed the struggles of people that lived outside of Harlem. Her greatest involvement was her emphasis on claiming a strong racial and gender identity. She argued against sexism and racism and advised other black women to remain silent in order to gain understanding, knowledge, and truth to fight the oppressions the mentioned prejudices (there were and still are many) of this time. She also encouraged African Americans to use the weapons of knowledge, teaching, and writing to overcome inequalities. Unlike most Renaissance writers, she focused her writings on issues in and around Chicago. Several of Bonner's short stories addressed the barriers that African American women faced when they attempted to follow the Harlem Renaissance's call for self-improvement through education and issues surrounding discrimination, religion, family, and poverty.Short stories
- "The Hands - A Story." Opportunity 3 (Aug 1925): 235-237.
- "The Prison-Bound." Crisis 32 (Sep 1926): 225-226.
- "Nothing New." Crisis 33 (Nov 1926): 17-20.
- "One Boy's Story." Crisis 34 (Nov 1927): 297-299, 316-320 (pseudonym used Joseph Maree Andrew).
- "Drab Rambles." Crisis 34 (Dec 1927): 335-336, 354-356.
- "A Possible Triad of Black Notes, Part One." Opportunity 11 (Jul 1933): 205-207.
- "A Possible Triad of Black Notes, Part Two:Of Jimmie Harris." Opportunity 11 (Aug 1933): 242-244.
- "A Possible Triad of Black Notes, Part Three:Three Tales of Living Corner Store." Opportunity 11 (Sep 1933): 269-271.
- "Tin Can." Opportunity 12 (Jul 1934): 202-205, (Aug 1934): 236-240.
- " A Sealed Pod." Opportunity 14 (Mar 1936): 88-91.
- "Black Fronts." Opportunity 16 (Jul 1938): 210-214.
- "Hate is Nothing." Crisis 45 (Dec 1938): 388-390, 394, 403-404 (pseudonym used Joyce M. Reed).
- "The Makin's." Opportunity 17 (Jan 1939): 18-21.
- "The Whipping." Crisis 46 (Jan 1939): 172-174.
- "Hongry Fire." Crisis 46 (Dec 1939): 360-362, 376-377.
- "Patch Quilt." Crisis 47 (Mar 1940): 71, 72, 92.
- "One True Love." Crisis 48 (February 1941): 46-47, 58-59.
Essays
- "The Young Blood Hungers." Crisis 35 (May 1928): 151, 172.
- "Review of Autumn Love Cycle, by Georgia Douglas Johnson." Opportuntiy 7 (Apr 1929): 130.
Drama
- The Pot-Maker (A Play to be Read). Opportunity 5 (Feb 1927): 43-46.
- Exit - An Illusion. Crisis 36 (Oct 1929): 335-336,352.
See also
- African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
- African American cultureAfrican American cultureAfrican-American culture, also known as black culture, in the United States refers to the cultural contributions of Americans of African descent to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from American culture. The distinct identity of African-American culture is rooted in...
- African American historyAfrican American historyAfrican-American history is the portion of American history that specifically discusses the African American or Black American ethnic group in the United States. Most African Americans are the descendants of captive Africans held in the United States from 1619 to 1865...
- African American literatureAfrican American literatureAfrican-American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. The genre traces its origins to the works of such late 18th century writers as Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano, reaching early high points with slave narratives and the Harlem...
- List of African-American writers
External links
- Marita Bonner Papers.Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.