Welcome back to the Labor Pains blog! Last week, we introduced the incomparable Zora Neale Hurston and hinted at the profound connections between her lived experience and the core themes of the Labor Pains project. As we dedicate the month of May to exploring Hurston’s economic life – a journey that will ultimately inform the script for our June 2026 performance at the West Oakland Mural Project – we begin at the beginning: her formative years and the crucible that forged her fierce independence and unique perspective on the American economic landscape.
It is impossible to discuss Zora Neale Hurston without acknowledging the foundational influence of Eatonville, Florida. As one of the nation’s first all-Black incorporated towns, Eatonville is often cited as the source of Hurston’s celebrated self-sufficiency and vibrant sense of Black community. Growing up in a place where Black people held political and economic agency undoubtedly shaped her worldview, instilling a pride and resilience that permeated her work in anthropology, literature (art), and her presence in popular culture.
However, focusing solely on the idyllic aspects of Eatonville risks overlooking the deeper, more challenging experiences that truly solidified Hurston’s need for self-reliance. The untimely death of her mother when Zora was young, followed by her father’s subsequent remarriage and, tragically, his abandonment of her at boarding school, thrust her into a reality far removed from the protective bubble of Eatonville.
Suddenly, the theoretical idea of self-sufficiency became a stark, immediate necessity. This period, where she had to navigate the world on her own, taking odd jobs to survive and continue her education, is a critical, often understated, component of her economic story. It wasn’t just the pride of Eatonville; it was the raw struggle for survival that hardened her resolve and equipped her to later navigate the complex, often hostile, worlds of academia and publishing.
This early struggle also perhaps sheds light on a peculiar habit that followed Hurston throughout her life: her tendency to shave years off her age. While historians generally agree on her birth year as 1891, Hurston herself would often claim a later date. This wasn’t mere vanity; in the rigid, patriarchal, and often racist structures of early 20th-century white and even Black academic and cultural circles, a self-possessed, highly aware Black woman of her true age might have been perceived as a threat, too experienced, or too independent to be molded. Presenting herself as younger may have been a calculated, albeit double-edged, strategy to gain access and be perceived as teachable or less formidable, allowing her to penetrate spaces where she could conduct her groundbreaking anthropological research and share her powerful literary voice.
Born at the tail end of Reconstruction, Hurston came of age during a period of intense racial flux and the hardening of Jim Crow segregation. Her consciousness was formed as the fragile gains for Black Americans after the Civil War were being systematically dismantled, redefining the economic and social relationship between Black and white America. This historical backdrop is crucial to understanding the economic realities she would later analyze, critique, and portray in her work.
This week, we are setting the stage by acknowledging these foundational elements of Hurston’s early life – the unique environment of Eatonville, the profound impact of personal loss and abandonment, the strategic navigation of societal expectations through means like altering her age, and the overarching historical context of a nation redefining itself along racial lines. These experiences laid the groundwork for the formidable woman who would become a giant in anthropology, a literary icon whose art continues to resonate, and a complex figure in popular culture. In the coming weeks, we will delve deeper into how these early experiences manifested in her professional and economic life, drawing parallels to the present-day experiences of Black women that are at the heart of the Labor Pains project.
Examining Hurston’s Resilience through A.C.E.
Zora Neale Hurston, a towering figure of the Harlem Renaissance and a pioneering anthropologist, left an indelible mark on American literature and culture. Her vibrant portrayals of Black life, particularly in works like Their Eyes Were Watching God, continue to resonate. But to truly understand the depth of her resilience and the unique lens through which she viewed the world, we must delve into the often-overlooked crucible of her early years—a period marked by profound loss and significant economic instability.
While Hurston’s childhood in the all-Black town of Eatonville, Florida, provided a unique foundation of cultural richness and self-governance, this empowering environment was not a shield against personal adversity. The death of her mother, Lucy Ann Hurston, when Zora was about thirteen, was a cataclysmic event that shattered her world. This loss precipitated a cascade of hardships. Her father’s swift remarriage brought a hostile stepmother into her life, leading to an environment of emotional turmoil and, eventually, Zora’s effective banishment from home.
These experiences—the loss of her primary emotional support, the introduction of an antagonistic parental figure, and the subsequent withdrawal of paternal financial support for her education—plunged young Hurston into what she termed her “haunted years”. She was “shifted from house to house, relatives and friends, and found comfort nowhere,” forced into menial jobs as a maid, waitress, and manicurist to survive.
If we look at these experiences through a modern lens, specifically the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) framework, we can retroactively estimate the significant burden Hurston carried. ACEs quantify traumatic events before age 18, including emotional and physical neglect, and household dysfunction like the loss of a parent or the presence of an emotionally abusive caregiver. Based on the documented accounts of her mother’s death leading to family disintegration, the emotional and physical neglect she suffered (including her father ceasing to pay her school fees, leading to her dismissal), and the emotional abuse from her stepmother, Hurston’s ACE score would likely be at least a 4. A score this high is considered indicative of a high risk for toxic stress and various long-term negative health and social outcomes.This early and profound economic precarity undoubtedly shaped Hurston’s fierce individualism and her lifelong relationship with financial security. Her “scrappy fighting sense of independence” was forged in these years of fending for herself.
A Renaissance Woman among Men
Hurston’s challenges didn’t end with her youth. As a Black woman in the early 20th century, particularly in the male-dominated field of anthropology, she faced significant intersectional hurdles. Her anthropological work, which sought to authentically document Black folklore and culture without the then-expected “race lifting” narrative, often drew criticism from some of her prominent male contemporaries during the Harlem Renaissance. Figures like Richard Wright and Alain Locke sometimes dismissed her work, accusing her of presenting a stereotypical or overly simplistic image of Black life, rather than focusing on overt political uplift. Her unique approach, which centered the everyday lives and language of Black people, was groundbreaking but also positioned her as an outsider in some circles, challenging the established norms of who could be an anthropologist and how Black culture should be represented.
The economic struggles Hurston endured throughout her life, despite her literary and anthropological achievements, mirror the persistent economic disparities that Black women continue to face. Consider these modern statistics:
- In 2023, the median annual income for Black women working full-time was $46,228 (calculated from median weekly earnings of $889).
- Even with higher education, the gap remains stark: college-educated Black women earn only about 62.5 cents for every dollar a white man with an equivalent education makes.
- The wealth disparity is even more pronounced. In 2022, the median Black household held only about 15 cents for every dollar of wealth held by a white family ($44,100 for Black households compared to $284,310 for white households).
Zora Neale Hurston’s life was one of extraordinary resilience in the face of significant early adversity and systemic challenges. Her economic experiences, from the instability of her youth to the financial insecurity that often marked her adult life, resonate with the ongoing economic realities faced by many Black women today. Her story is not just a literary or historical account; it’s a testament to the enduring impact of early life experiences and a poignant reminder of the long road toward economic equity.
She is the epitome of a Black woman’s economic experience in America, both as a contributor to culture and laborer. Studying her life and her work through this economic lens has been eye- opening and inspiring. Though we have very different lived experiences I have found affirmation in her choices, I understand things that others have labeled contradicting. She makes sense because I am her, she is me. Making that connection visible is the purpose of this project.
I’m not sure I want to get to the end of this rabbit hole.
Until next time.
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