Zora Neale Hurston was a prominent African American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker who played a significant role in the Harlem Renaissance movement of the 1920s and 1930s. She is best known for her novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," which is considered a classic of African American literature.

Hurston was born on January 7, 1891, in Notasulga, Alabama, and grew up in Eatonville, Florida, one of the first all-black towns to be incorporated in the United States. She attended Howard University and later went on to study anthropology at Barnard College, where she became the first African American student to receive a degree from that institution.

Hurston's work often focused on the culture and folklore of the African American South, drawing from her own experiences growing up in a predominantly black community. She conducted extensive research on African American folklore and traditions, particularly in the southern United States and the Caribbean, and incorporated these elements into her writing.

Despite her contributions to African American literature and anthropology, Hurston's work was largely overlooked during her lifetime, and she struggled with poverty and obscurity in her later years. It wasn't until the 1970s that her work began to receive the recognition it deserved, with a resurgence of interest in her writing and legacy.

Zora Neale Hurston's literary achievements and cultural impact have solidified her place as a pioneering figure in Black history and American literature.