Author, Social Reformer. The grandson of a whiteman and the son of free blacks, he was one of the first black writers to use black dialect. His writings were controversial, dealing with subject matter such as interracial sex and “passing” – people legally defined as black but with skin light enough to permit them to represent themselves as white. In the early twentieth century, he began to write essays on the plight of Southern blacks. He served as a member of the general committee of the NAACP, which awarded Chestnutt its Spingarn Medal for his life’s work. (bio by: Shiver)  Family links:  Spouse:  Susan U Chesnutt (1861 – 1940)* *Calculated relationship