A Life Immersed in Culture: The Early Years of Romare Bearden Romare Howard Bearden, born September 2, 1911, in Charlotte, North Carolina, emerged from a lineage steeped in intellectual and artistic fervor. His parents, Richard Howard Bearden, a sanitation inspector, and Bessye Johnson Bearden, a journalist and activist, instilled within him a profound sense of social consciousness and an appreciation for the power of storytelling. Th…