Zora Neale HurstonJanuary 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960

Zora Neale Hurston

• Born in Alabama in 1891

• Moved to Florida to the first black township where her father became the mayor

• Her mom died when she was 13 and she began to follow a different path to discover herself

Education

• After her mom died she quit school and started working various jobs

• At 26, she decided to return to school claiming she was only 16 to receive free schooling

• Graduated from Bernard College in 1928

Writings

• Wrote “Spunk” followed by “Color Struck”, a play

• Wrote many books, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is the most well known

• She had many articles published in magazines, Opportunity being one of them

End of Zora’s Life

• Stopped writing

• Had a stroke in 1959

• Died in 1960 from hypertensive heart disease

• Buried in an unmarked grave in the Garden of Heavenly Rest in Fort Pierce

• Alice Walker discovered her grave and wrote a book about it

Other Interesting Facts

• She practiced hoodoo and black magic and wrote about it

• Accused of molesting her landlady’s mentally disturbed 10 year old son, the case was dropped but the media portrayed her in a bad light