JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, SIGMA STANDOUT | James Weldon Johnson, poet, lecturer, composer, and diplomat, was initiated into the Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. after graduating from Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University) in 1894. He went on to become one of the leading voices for racial equality in the early 20th century. After earning a bachelor's degree in music education from Atlanta University in 1896, Johnson traveled to New York City, where he worked as a clerk at Arnold's Music Shop before becoming interested in poetry. In 1898 he published his first collection of poems, Poems by One Who Has Never Before Been Known as a Poet. This book was an immediate success and was followed by several more over the next few years. In 1903 Johnson was appointed secretary of the American Commission to Berlin by President Theodore Roosevelt and given a diplomatic post there. He served in this position until 1907, when President Roosevelt asked him to replace Walter Hines Page as ambassador to Great Britain. Johnson left the post shortly before his appointment was to take effect because of health concerns; he died in London at the age of 44. In addition to being a noted author, James Weldon Johnson also helped found two important civil rights organizations: the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).