Julia Peterkin
Julia Peterkin (1880-1961) is the author of Black April (1927), Scarlet Sister Mary (1928)--which won the Pulitzer Prize; Bright Skin (1932); Green Thursday (1924); Roll, Jordan Roll (1933); and Plantation Christmas (1934). She was a regular contributor to American Mercury, Century Magazine, Smart Set, and Saturday Evening Post. She was born in Laurens County, SC in 1880 and received the B.A., M.A., and E. Lit. degrees, all from Converse College in Spartanburg, SC.
In 1903, she married William George Peterkin of Lang Syne Plantation, Fort Motte, SC. She is known primarily for her humane and realistic depiction of the Gullahs, Black Americans who lived and worked on South Carolina plantations during the first decades of the 20th century. Peterkin was initially recognized for her portrayal of the Gullahs as complete, meaningful characters, which undermined the stereotypical view of Blacks during the 1920s and '30s.
In 1903, she married William George Peterkin of Lang Syne Plantation, Fort Motte, SC. She is known primarily for her humane and realistic depiction of the Gullahs, Black Americans who lived and worked on South Carolina plantations during the first decades of the 20th century. Peterkin was initially recognized for her portrayal of the Gullahs as complete, meaningful characters, which undermined the stereotypical view of Blacks during the 1920s and '30s.