Portrait of James Weldon Johnson at the Johnson Homes

This portrait of James W. Johnson was painted by the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network at the James W. Johnson Homes located in North Philadelphia. Seated at a desk a young James Weldon Johnson man sits with his hand on his forehead in a posture of deep though. To his right sits a copy of his autobiography Along the Way; to his left are the scales of justice. Johnson was an esteemed writer, activist, and politician before he was a lawyer and an educator. He became the first African American professor to be hired by New York University, in addition to his literary and music accomplishments.

Location Note: Mural no longer on view at this location (painted out before 2009).