Raymond Garfield Dandridge
Raymond Garfield Dandridge was an influential African American poet born in 1882 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He demonstrated remarkable academic and athletic talent in his youth, balancing his studies at Hughes Center High School with work as a porter to support his mother, Ellen C. Dandridge. His life took a dramatic turn in 1911 when he contracted polio, which left him paralyzed and bedridden. Despite these challenges, Dandridge continued to work from home, taking phone orders for a coal company and contributing as a literary editor for the Cincinnati Journal.
During this period, he taught himself to write with his left hand and began composing poetry, often inspired by the works of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Dandridge's poetry reflected African American experiences and was characterized by his use of colloquial dialect, which he employed to authentically capture the vibrancy of his community. He was an active participant in the Harlem Renaissance and published several poetry collections, including "Penciled Poems" and "The Poet, and Other Poems." His work highlighted social issues affecting African Americans and evolved over time to express a deeper cultural liberation. Dandridge passed away in 1930, but his literary contributions remain a significant part of African American literature, celebrated through honors such as the Whittier Garden Foundation in Cincinnati.
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Subject Terms
Raymond Garfield Dandridge
Writer
- Born: 1882
- Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Died: February 24, 1930
- Place of death: Cincinnati, Ohio
Biography
Raymond Garfield Dandridge was born in 1882 in the suburb of Prince Hill in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Whittier Elementary school and went on to study at Hughes Center High School in the evenings. During the day, Dandridge worked as a porter at the neighborhood Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) to support him and his mother, Ellen C. Dandridge. He was a gifted student and athlete, excelling in swimming and in track and field. After graduating from high school, Dandridge worked as a house painter and decorator.
In 1911, Dandridge contracted polio (although some say he suffered a stroke), which left his legs and right arm paralyzed. He would be bedridden for the rest of his life. To support him and his mother, Dandridge continued to work from bed, taking phone orders for the Roger Kemper Rogan Coal Company and serving as literary editor of the Cincinnati Journal.
While in bed, Dandridge taught himself to write with his left hand and began composing poetry to express himself. His poems began to be published in the Cincinnati Enquirer and other magazines and journals. Dandridge, heavily influenced by Paul Laurence Dunbar, frequently wrote his poetry in a colloquial dialect reflecting African American speech. He purposely misspelled words and used improper grammar to capture the feel and vibrancy of the African American dialect.
Dandridge also was an active participant in the Harlem Renaissance and used his poetry to advance and liberate African Americans. Although he was physically removed from Harlem, and most of the world, his poetry was relevant and alive, and he used it as a vehicle for the social advancement of African Americans.
In 1917, a circle of Dandridge’s friends began publishing his poems in three collections, Penciled Poems (1917), The Poet, and Other Poems (1920), and Zalka Peetruza, and Other Poems (1928). The collections highlight Dandridge’s gift for dialect writing as well as his talent for writing in a more conventional English. His works would later appear in literary anthologies, including The Book of American Negro Poetry. Dandridge’s three poetry collections demonstrate his evolution as a poet. His early works focus on everyday, simple folk life and have a lighthearted and upbeat use of slang and rhythm. As his works progressed, Dandridge honed in on social issues affecting African Americans, and he experienced a cultural liberation through his writings.
Dandridge died on February 24, 1930, in Cincinnati. Bedridden for the majority of his life, Dandridge’s view of local gardens from his bedroom window was his only physical glimpse of the world. In recognition of his life and writings, the Whittier Garden Foundation at the University of Cincinnati, in cooperation with civic organizations in Price Hill, created and named such a garden in his honor near his home. Dandridge’s ability to capture the daily lives and social issues affecting African Americans through his use of dialect and conventional language is his greatest contribution to literature and poetry.