People, Locations, Episodes

Eloise Greenfield, Author born

Eloise Greenfield

Eloise Greenfield, a Black writer, was born on this date in 1929.

She was born in Paemele, N.C., the daughter of Weston W. Little and Lessie Jones Little. She grew up in Langston Terrace, Washington, D.C.  This was a public housing development for Blacks that she recalls fondly. The library was two minutes from her back door, so she spent much time there. She and the other children in the housing project played games, danced in fire hydrant showers, and jumped rope. Greenfield was educated at Miner Teachers College in Washington, the principal school for training Black teachers in the city, from 1946 to 1949. Her first job was as a clerk typist with the U.S. Patent Office.

She was bored with her job, which led her to begin writing. She doesn't remember why she decided to sit down one day and write a rhyme, but she began to write. She was inspired to write because far too few books told the truth about African American people. She has been writing children's books for almost 40 years.

She married Robert Greenfield in 1950, and they have two children. In the late 1960s, Greenfield began working with the District of Columbia Black Writers' Workshop. She directed adult fiction (1971-73) and children's literature (1973-74). She first wrote humorous rhymes and songs. She then tried three rejected short stories but kept writing until they were published.

Greenfield's first book, "Bubbles," was published in 1972. She writes poetry, picture books, and biographies. She has won many awards for her books, which include: "Rosa Parks," (1973), "She Come Bringing Me That Little Baby Girl," (1974), "Honey, I Love," (1978), "Grandpa's Face," (1988), "Night on Neighborhood St.," (1996), "Water, Water," (1999), "MJ and Me," (1999), "Grandma's Joy," (1999) and others.

Greenfield has stated that her family and efforts to fight racism are the two most essential concerns in her life. Authentically, she has adopted all Black children as her family by addressing racism through writing books, especially for them. Greenfield is possibly the foremost African American children's poet today.

To be a Writer