Oppenheim became the superintendent of the He-
brew Technical School for Girls. His radical ideas
about education, however, prompted the school to
call for his resignation. He worked there for two
years before deciding to dedicate himself full-time
to writing. Following his 1914 divorce from Seckel,
Oppenheim enjoyed a longtime companionship
with Gertrude Smith. Following Smith’s death, he
married Linda Gray, who tended him until his un-
timely death at age 50.
Oppenheim, the author of several novels, col-
lections of poetry, and many pieces of short fiction,
became the editor of the avant-garde monthly liter-
ary magazine THESEVENARTSin 1916. The associ-
ate editors were WALDOFRANKand VANWYCK
BROOKS. Founded in 1916, the magazine was one
of several short-lived journals that appeared during
the Harlem Renaissance. Although it was published
only for one year, The Seven Artswas a promising
literary venue. It published the works of major writ-
ers such as SHERWOODANDERSON, John Dos Pas-
sos, THEODOREDREISER,H. L. MENCKEN,CLAUDE
MCKAY, and EUGENE O’NEILL. Oppenheim was
one of the outspoken literary critics who encour-
aged African-American writers like Claude McKay
to write only on racial matters. The magazine suf-
fered when its editors criticized the war effort; Op-
penheim was labeled a traitor, and funding for the
magazine was halted.
Oppenheim, who contracted tuberculosis,
died in St. Paul, Minnesota, in August 1932.
Opportunity
The official journal of the NATIONAL URBAN
LEAGUE,Opportunitywas first published in 1923,
13 years after the founding of its parent organiza-
tion. Like influential race journals such as the
Colored American Magazine and THE CRISIS,
Opportunitywas a multidisciplinary journal that fo-
cused on literature, the arts, politics, and social is-
sues of the day. The title of the journal was
inspired by the motto of the Urban League: “Not
Alms, but Opportunity.”
CHARLES SPURGEON JOHNSON, a respected
sociologist and UNIVERSITY OFCHICAGOgraduate,
was the first editor of Opportunity.He used his po-
sition to generate vital support for African-Ameri-
can artists and writers and to advance the
campaigns spearheaded by the Urban League. In
the first issue of the monthly periodical, Urban
League director Eugene Kinckle Jones noted that
the magazine was designed to “depict Negro life as
it is with no exaggerations” and that issues would
include “careful scientific surveys and... facts
gathered from research.” According to historians
Abby and Ronald Johnson, there were some 4,000
readers of Opportunity’sfirst issue in 1923. Four
years later, circulation totaled approximately
11,000 readers. The magazine received vital an-
nual operating funds from the Carnegie Founda-
tion that, according to the Johnsons, in 1921
began to provide some $8,000 to the National
Urban League.
Opportunity evolved deliberately and ex-
panded gradually to include literature and art. The
first works of poetry were published in the April
1923 issue, but it was not until October 1925 that
the magazine published short fiction. It also in-
cluded regular features such as the social columns
“EBONY FLUTE,” written by GWENDOLYN BEN-
NETT, and “DARKTOWER,” written by COUNTEE
CULLEN. Both columns ran for almost two years.
Bennett’s feature column appeared from August
1926 through May 1928, and Cullen’s contribu-
tions were published from December 1926 through
September 1928.
Under Johnson’s editorship, the magazine in-
augurated the dynamic tradition of Harlem Renais-
sance literary and arts contests. The magazine was
known for its celebratory awards dinners. Johnson
recruited notable white and African-American
scholars, activists, artists, and writers as judges.
The panels included well-known Harlem Renais-
sance figures such as COUNTEECULLEN,RUDOLPH
FISHER, and PAULROBESONand other notable fig-
ures such as WITTER BYNNER,THEODORE
DREISER,FANNIEHURST,JAMESWELDONJOHN-
SON, Vachel Lindsay, MARYWHITEOVINGTON,
and Carl Sandburg.
Johnson encouraged African Americans to
submit their work for consideration. The celebra-
tory awards presentations provided winners and
their peers with opportunities to meet each other
as well as to make contact with prospective pub-
lishers and patrons. Contest winners received a
modest cash prize, publication of their work, and
critical acclaim that often led to book contracts406 Opportunity