Phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley, (May 8, 1753 – December 5, 1784),was the first published African American poet and first African-American woman whose writings helped create the genre of African American literature. Born in Gambia, she was made a slave at age seven. She was purchased by the Wheatley family of Boston, who taught her to read and write, and helped encourage her poetry. 
"On being brought from Africa to America"
Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.
Some view our sable race with scornful eye,
"Their colour is a diabolic dye."
Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain,
May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train.´  

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Zora Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston (poses from a Crow dance), 1935

Zora Neale Hurston (born January 7, 1891 - January 28, 1960 ) spent her early adulthood studying at various universities and collecting folklore from the South, the Carribean, and Latin America. She published her findings in Mules and Men. She was a fixture of the Harlem Renaissance, rubbing shoulders with many of its famous writers. In 1937, she published her masterwork of fiction, Their Eyes Were Watching God.

 Source: deviatesinc | biography.com