The LHCPR Mission
1) To introduce to the Poet Laureate of Harlem, Langston Hughes, through celebratory public sharing and performance of his work.
2) To raise awareness within the community at large about the impact of Langston Hughes through a critical lens inspired by his life and works.
3) To recognize Langston Hughes for his important contributions to American history, culture, and civic philosophy.
Excerpt from "Harlem Night Song" by Langston Hughes
Come,
Let us roam the night together
Singing
Our History
The LHCPR was the first national event organized with a mission to carry the legacy of Langston Hughes within a community context. The reading occupies an important place and history within the Rhode Island community since 1985. In its early stages, the confluence was first conceived as an art center hosted at the OIC, eventually formalizing and growing into the Langston Hughes Center for the Arts and Education (1985-2002) under the leadership of Anne Edmonds Clanton.
A new committee of dedicated Rhode Island and Southeastern New England representatives has managed the LHCPR since 2015. The community readings event, the flagship program of LHCPR, had been hosted at the RISD Museum in downtown Providence since 1985. The organization has been consistently female and black led since 1985.