Timeline of the Harlem Renaissance
1901: Article by W.E.B. DuBois in the Atlantic Monthly
"The Freedmen's Bureau", a groundbreaking article by author W.E.B. DuBois in the Atlantic
Monthly begins with this statement: "THE problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the
color line."
1902: Langston Hughes born, Joplin, Missouri
Langston Hughes, 1902-1967, was known as the poet laureate of Harlem.
He was a prolific writer and influenced an entire generation of poets. His
poetry was bittersweet and based on the rhythms of jazz and blues. It was
racially sensitive, earthy, and honest. "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" is one of
his more famous poems.
1903: Williams and Walker open "In Dahomey," the first all-Black musical on a major
Broadway stage
George Walker and Egbert Austin Williams were a vaudeville comedy
team and had one of the most renowned and successful stage
partnerships in American theatrical history. They decided to team up when
they met in San Francisco in the early 1890's. Williams and Walker
pioneered a new kind of "Black" humor and eventually developed their
own company. With musical shows such as "Clorindy, the Origin of the
Cakewalk," "Sons of Ham," and "In Dahomey," they opened the door for
other African-American actors, singers, dancers, and musicians, and
redefined the boundaries of legitimate Negro Theater.
"In Dahomey" was the idea of George Walker. He wanted to use the
African elements of the American Negro background as the theme of the show. Although he and
Williams didn't know much about Africa, they wanted to try something new. Will Marion Cook
composed the music and Paul Lawrence Dunbar and Alex Roger wrote the lyrics. On February
18, 1903, it was the first full-length black musical comedy that played on Broadway at the New
York Theater. The show later traveled to England and the cast performed at the Shaftesbury
Theater in London and later at Buckingham Palace in a royal command performance for the
birthday party of the Prince of Wales. Some of the songs Williams and Walker made famous are:
"I'm a Jonah Man," "I May Be Crazy but I Ain't No Fool," "I Wants to be a Actor Lady," "Miss
Hannah from Savannah," "Bon Bon Buddy," and "Nobody."
1904: Thomas "Fats" Waller is born in New York City
A celebrated jazz pianist, organist, and composer, "Fats" Waller was a protege of the famous
pianist James P. Johnson in the 1920s, and later accompanied. such important vocalists as
Bessie Smith. He recorded hundreds of his own compositions encompassing ragtime, boogie
woorie, dixieland and swing styles, and he influenced generations of jazz pianists. Waller also
performed on radio and in several motion pictures. Familiar works include "Honeysuckle Rose,"
"Ain't Misbehavin'," and "Black and Blue."
AND . . .
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Countee Cullen is born in Louisville, Kentucky
Born in Kentucky, Countee Cullen was raised New York City by his paternal grandmother. In
1918, he was adopted by the Reverend Frederick Asbury Cullen, minister of Salem M.E.
Church, one of the largest congregations in Harlem. This was a turning point in his life; he
was introduced to the heart of of Black activism and achievement.
Early in his life, Cullen won a citywide poetry contest; his winning verses were widely reprinted.
He attended New York University (B.A., 1925), won the Witter Bynner Poetry Prize, and was
elected to Phi Beta Kappa. His first collection of poems, "Color" (1925), was be published to
critical acclaim before he finished college.
Cullen's several volumes of poetry include "Copper Sun" (1927); "The Black Christ" (1929); and
"On These I Stand" (published posthumously, 1947) He also wrote a novel dealing with life in
Harlem, "One Way to Heaven" (1931), and a children's book, "The Lost Zoo" (1940).
1909: First Meeting of Committee
The National Negro Committee (later known as the NAACP) holds its first meeting in New York
City. To learn more about the history of the NAACP
1910: First Edition of The Crisis published
The Crisis is the official monthly publication of the NAACP. It began in 1910 with William Edward
Burghardt DuBois as editor, and became a leading periodical for African Americans. It was known
for its radical position against lynching and racial prejudice and reflected the ideology of Dr.
DuBois. Until 1919 it sold for 10 cents a copy and boasted a monthly circulation of 80,000 copies.
In the 1920s, literary contributions to the magazine increased in keeping with the cultural
explosion known as the Harlem Renaissance. The magazine began to sponsor a literary contest
and the works of poets Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Claude McKay, among others,
began to appear. The cover was also illustrated by leading African-American visual artists such
as Aaron Douglas, John Henry Adams and Laura Wheeler Waring. The magazine continues to
emphasize cultural, social and economic matters. It is still being published monthly by the
NAACP.
1911: The National Urban League Is Launched
In October 1911, three organizations, The Committee for Improving the Industrial Conditions of
Negroes in New York, The Committee on Urban Conditions and The National League for the
Protection of Colored Women merge, under the leadership of Dr. George E. Hayne and Eugene
Kinckle Jones, to form the National Urban League. Eugene Kinckle Jones is named executive
secretary.
1916: Madame C.J. Walker moves to New York City
Madame C.J. Walker was born in 1867 to Owen and Minerva
Breedlove, former slaves. She married C.J. Walker at fourteen and
had a daughter, L'Aliea. While working as a laundress Walker
nurtured her dream of making a preparation that would "improve" the
texture of African women's hair. She set out with $1.25 and plenty of
determination to become America's first self-made woman
millionaire. She developed a line of cosmetics and hair care products
especially for African-American women. She sold her wares door to
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door at first, then established a company based in Indianapolis, Indiana. In
Indianapolis she employed thousands of people to manufacture and sell her products all over the
United States, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Madame Walker moved to Harlem in 1916 and opened an elegant and fully equipped beauty
salon. In 1917 she bought another property and built a mansion, where she entertained the rich
and famous. Madame Walker was also a human rights activist, and visited the White House as
part of a delegation that was petitioning President Woodrow Wilson to make lynching a federal
crime. She also travelled around the country promoting her products and speaking out on
women's and African-American rights. C.J. Walker died in 1919, leaving her business and her
legacy to her daughter, L'Aliea, who continued her work.
1917: Silent Protest Parade in New York, July 27th
On July 28, 1917 in New York City, a Silent parade was staged in protest of the East St. Louis,
Illinois Massacre of July 2, 1917, as well as the recent lynchings in Waco, Texas and Memphis,
Tennesee. The march was organized by the NAACP, churchmen and other civil leaders to protest
the violent events against African Americans around the country. The United States had just
entered World War I and many were questioning the use of African-American soldiers to fight in a
war that President Woodrow Wilson had described as necessary to the survival of democracy
abroad, especially at a time when these same men and their families were denied their basic
rights here in the U.S.
The riots in East St. Louis began when whites, angry because African Americans were employed
by a factory holding government contracts, went on a rampage. Over $400,000 worth of property
was destroyed. At least 40 African Americans were killed. Men, women and children were beaten,
stabbed, hanged and burned. Nearly 6,000 African Americans were driven from their homes.
On July 28, 8,000 African Americans, primarily from Harlem, marched silently down Fifth Avenue.
They were dressed in their finest clothes and marched to the sound of muffled drums. They
carried picket signs while thousands of New Yorkers watched from the sidewalks. The children
marched as well as the adults. Some of the banners read: "Mother, do lynchers go to heaven?" ,
"Mr President, why not make America safe for democracy?", "Pray for the Lady Macbeths of East
St. Louis", and "Give us a Chance to Live".
369th Black Regiment embarks for France, November
When World War I started in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed
the United States neutral. However, in 1917, the U.S. formally declared
war. At the start of the war, African Americans volunteered for the Armed
Services and were rejected. But on May 18, 1917, the Selective Service
Act was passed, providing for the enlistment of all able-bodied American
men between the ages of 21 and 31. Before the end of these enlistments,
over 2 million black men had registered.
James Europe, who had been touring with the dancers Vernon and Irene
Castle, was asked by Colonel William Haywood to organize a band for the
U.S. 15th Infantry. Europe brought men from all over the U.S. and from
Puerto Rico to form one of the most popular overseas bands during the war. The 15th New York
Infantry was training in Spartansburg, South Carolina when a racial incident occurred involving
Noble Sissle, the drum major. When the other militiamen heard about the incident, they wanted to
retaliate. But Lt. James R. Europe, the bandmaster, ordered the men to disperse. The War
Department decided to send the 15th N.Y. Infantry, now the 369th Regiment of the U.S. Army to
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France. They became the first contingent of African-American combat troops to go to war. They
were nicknamed the "Harlem Hellfighters" and performed for the troops and the French people
and government officials during the war, bringing jazz to France.
1920: Springarn Medal Awarded
The Springarn Medal is awarded by the NAACP to author, historian and educator W.E.B. Du Bois
for "the founding and the calling of the Pan African Congress”.
Review of "The Emperor Jones"
In November 1920, the New York Times and Tribune described actor Charles Gilpin's portrayal
of Brutus Jones in Eugene O'Neill's play 'The Emperor Jones' as "a performance of heroic
stature." This was the first dramatic production in an all-white theater to star an African-American
actor. Gilpin had premiered in the play earlier that month with the Provincetown Players in
Greenwich Village. Gilpin was named one of the ten most important contributors to the American
theater of 1920 and in 1921 received the NAACP's Springarn medal for his work.
Author James Weldon Johnson becomes the first African-American executive secretary
of the NAACP in November, 1920.
1922: Duke Ellington Moves to New York City
After founding his first band in 1919, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington
moves to New York City in 1922. His five-year tenure at the famed Cotton
Club will garner him widespread acclaim. In 1924, he composes his first
musical and releases his recording debut. Known as a jazz composer,
Ellington will also become renowned for his Sacred Concerts in the mid1960's. Among his most notable works are "Take the A Train," "Mood
Indigo," "Sophisticated Ladies," and "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good."
1923: The first issue of Opportunity published
Opportunity was the literary organ of the National Urban League. Countee Cullen won second
prize in the Opportunity literary contest in 1925, and became the assistant editor for the magazine
in 1926, under Charles S. Johnson. Other Opportunity prize winners included Zora Neale
Hurston, who also won second place awards in 1925 for her story "Spunk" and a play, "Color
Struck."
1924: Dixie to Broadway Revue Opens! Starring Florence Mills,
"Dixie to Broadway", a musical revue featuring an African-American
cast, premieres at the Broadhurst Theater in New York City. The music
is written by Will Vodery, an African-American, who arranged music for
the Ziegfeld Follies for 23 years.
1926: Crisis Magazine . The Crisis magazine led by editor W.E.B.
DuBois, awards its first prizes in literature and art. Among the winners
are be Arna Bontemps' poem "Nocturne at Bethesda," Countee
Cullen's poem "Thoughts in a Zoo," Aaron Douglas' painting "African
Chief" and a portrait by Hale Woodruff.
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1930: The Northeasterners Founded . The Northeasterners Inc., started as a social club in
1930. It was founded by Agatha Scott, wife of Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., in
New York. The idea came to Mrs. Davis, who was impressed with the young AfricanAmerican debutantes she met while visiting several cities. The idea caught on and several
young women representing various states in the Northeast came together with the aim of
keeping in touch with each other socially, keeping abreast of cultural trends and rendering
service to the community.
Club records show various projects were organized to aid community and educational causes.
Some of these include an annual scholarship to Howard University, contributions to the Infantile
Paralysis Library Project at Tuskegee Institute, contributions to the NAACP, the Urban League,
the United Negro College Fund and the American Cancer Society, among others.
The present organization is national in scope with a national constitution. The various chapters
meet at an annual National Conclave held in different locations each year. The organization
encourages young women to join and strive towards a standard of excellence and a commitment
to community services. The organization voted to change its name in 1979 to The
Northeasterners.
1934: Campaign Against Segregation
At a conference in October, 1934 in New York City, representatives of the NAACP and the
American Fund for Public Service plan a coordinated legal campaign against segregation and
discrimination. Charles H. Houston, Vice-Dean of the Howard University Law School, is named
director of the NAACP legal campaign.
1935: Hughes' Play Opens in New York
In October 1935, poet and novelist Langston Hughes's play "Mulatto" opens on Broadway. It will
have the longest run of any play on by an African American until Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin
in the Sun."
1936: Academy Award Winning Actor Born in Brooklyn, New York
Louis Gossett, Jr. is born in Brooklyn, New York. He debuted at 17 in "Take a Giant Step" and
performed in many stage, film and television roles, including "Roots," for which he received an
Emmy Award. His portrayal of a tough drill instructor in the 1982 film"An Officer and a
Gentleman" brought him an Academy Award as best supporting actor. He is the third AfricanAmerican to win an Academy Award for acting.
1937: Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, published
Zora Neale Hurston was born on January 7th, 1891 in Eatonville, Florida. Her hometown and her
experiences there provided inspiration for several of her novels, including the autobiographical
Dust Tracks on the Road. Hurston attended Morgan Academy in Baltimore for high school, and
studied afterward at Howard University in Washington, D.C..
From 1925 to 1927 Hurston attended Barnard College, studying anthropology with Dr. Frank
Boaz. She subsequently did field research recording the folklore and ways of African Americans,
first in Harlem and then throughout the rural South. Her work played a large role in preserving the
folk traditions and cultural heritage of African Americans.
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Hurston was ahead of her time. Her literary activities were influential in bridging the gap between
what came to be known as the first and second phases of the Harlem Renaissance. She began
writing short stories in the 1920's, but her major acheivements were generally between 1931 and
1943, when she wrote scholarly works on folklore and published six major novels. She was on the
vanguard of the modern literary movement. Several of her books won recognition and her stories
were published in the leading literary magazines of the times. Her most notable novel was Their
Eyes Were Watching God, a classic in American literature.
1938: Harlem Suitcase Theatre features Hughes' Play
In New York city, the Harlem Suitcase Theatre opens with Langston Hughes' play "Don't
You Want to be Free?" The play's star is a young Robert Earl Jones, father of acclaimed
actor James Earl Jones.
1939: New publication by McKay
Jamaican-born author Claude McKay published Harlem: Negro Metropolis (E.P. Dutton and
Co), documenting the creative artists, authors and revolutionary thinkers in Harlem prior to WWII.
An illustration from this book is included below, entitled "Women of Harlem".
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