Langston Hughes inspired others to reach their true potential in their work by using their own life as a catalyst: “You will find the world in your eyes, if they learn to see it; in your heart if it learns to feel; and in your own fingers if they learn to touch. (Dunham 188). Langston Hughes was an influential leader to many African American men, women, and children in the 1920s and 1930s. Langston Hughes may not be as well known for the civil rights movement as Martin Luther King Jr. was, but Hughes was able to make a lasting impact on black culture during this period of civil rights unrest in the United States. Martin Luther King Jr. was a supporter of the right of African Americans to have the same privileges and opportunities as whites, similarly Langston Hughes represented this desire for social change through his writings and other works. He played an immeasurable role in the Harlem Renaissance period and was regarded by many writers as the voice of their own experiences. Hughes used ordinary people and their daily struggles as a theme in his writings to touch the readers he had acquired. It is said that Langston Hughes was known as a legacy when it came to inspiring others to express themselves artistically. This legacy included: singing, writing, painting or drawing. Langston Hughes was a master artistically and loved to show his passion for the arts to his fellow men. Langston was well known for the way he used art as a motivator for social change in the United States. Langston Hughes focused many of his poems on the importance of African Americans, their culture, and the emotions felt by blacks during the era of racism in the United States... in the center of the paper... among the people with his poetry. He believed that being honest and realistic was able to break many barriers that existed between people in the era when communism and racism flooded the United States. Hughes received numerous awards throughout his life, and several notable structures have been dedicated to Langston Hughes in honor of his life and to celebrate his lasting impression. Hughes' impression of Harlem is also everlasting. Hughes will forever be known as the father of the Harlem Renaissance. Works Cited Dunham, Montrew, and Robert Doremus. Langston Hughes: Young Black Poet. New York, NY: Aladdin Paperback, 1995. Print."Harlem Project Langston Hughes." Harlem Langston Hughes Project. Albany College and Web. March 28, 2014.Hughes, Langston, and Susan Duffy. The political dramas of Langston Hughes. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 2000. Print.