Alain Locke from “Harlem” published in Survey Graphic:
• “If we were to offer a symbol of what Harlem has
come to mean in the short span of twenty years it
would be another statue of liberty on the landward
side of New York. It stands for a folk-movement
which in human significance can be compared only
with the pushing back of the western frontier in the
first half of the last century, or the waves of
immigration which have swept in from overseas in
the last half. Numerically far smaller than either of
these movements, the volume of migration is such
none the less that Harlem has become the greatest
Negro community the world has known--without
counterpart in the South or in Africa. But beyond this,
Harlem represents the Negro's latest thrust towards
Democracy”
• The Harlem Renaissance was a flowering of
African American social thought which was
expressed through
– Paintings
– Music
– Dance
– Theater
– Literature
Some Background: THEMES
• Significant Themes:
– Twoness
– Urban Pluralism
– Race Capital
– Race Consciousness
– Black Nationalism
Harlem Renaissance and the Great
Migration
• Starting in the early 20th century, African Americans
left the South in large numbers and tried to find work
and freedom in the North. WWI provided tons of
industrial work, and over 400,000 African Americans
migrated from the South to Northern cities between
1916-1918 alone.
• The first Great Migration lasted until 1930, and
resulted in a major shift in where African Americans
lived in the United States. (The 2nd great migration
happened during WWII…)
Jacob Lawrence’s Work
• Jacob Lawrence painted his Great Migration
series during the 1940s to capture the experience
of African Americans during the 1920s
The Making of Harlem by James Weldon Johnson
• To my mind, Harlem is more than a
Negro community; it is a large scale
laboratory experiment in the race
problem. The statement has often
been made that if Negroes were
transported to the North in large
numbers the race problem with all
of its acuteness and with New
aspects would be transferred with
them. Well, 175,000 Negroes live
closely together in Harlem, in the
heart of New York, 75,000 more
than live in any Southern city, and
do so without any race friction. Nor
is there any unusual record of crime.
Chicago Race Riots of 1919
• Watch the clip from “Up South”
• Questions:
– Why did many African Americans leave the South
and move North?
– What was it like in the North for African
Americans?
– Why did racial tensions rise right after WWI?
Documents A & B
• Read aloud…and fill out the graphic organizer
in pairs.
• Discussion:
– On what points do the accounts agree? Disagree?
Which account do you find more reliable? Why?
– Do students believe that one boy’s death could
start a massive riot? Why or why not?
– What other conditions were probably in place that
created a climate for a riot?
Documents C, D & E
• Read in a group of three…and fill out page 2 of
the graphic organizer
• Discussion:
– According to the documents, what caused the Chicago
Race Riots of 1919?
– Do you think one of these causes (i.e., housing, jobs,
or the “New Negro”) led to the violence more than
the other causes? Why?
– Why do you think there were 20 riots across the
nation that summer?
Claude McKay
America
Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,
And sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth,
Stealing my breath of life, I will confess
I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!
Her vigor flows like tides into my blood,
Giving me strength erect against her hate.
Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood.
Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state,
I stand within her walls with not a shred
Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.
Darkly I gaze into the days ahead,
And see her might and granite wonders there,
Beneath the touch of Time’s unerring hand,
Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand.
Langston Hughes
Cross
My old man’s a white old man
And my old mother’s black.
If ever I cursed my white old man
I take my curses back.
If ever I cursed my black old mother
And wished she were in hell,
I’m sorry for that evil wish
And now I wish her well
My old man died in a fine big house.
My ma died in a shack.
I wonder where I’m going to die,
Being neither white nor black?
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
(1919)
Listen to Langston Hughes read
his poem
One of Hughes's poetic innovations was to draw on
the rhythms of black musical traditions such as jazz
and blues, but in 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers' it's
the heritage of Negro spirituals which is recalled by
the poem's majestic imagery and sonorous
repetitions. Written when Hughes was only
seventeen as he traveled by train across the
Mississippi, 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers' is a
beautiful statement of strength in the history of black
people, which Hughes imagines stretching as far
back as ancient Egypt and further into Africa and the
cradle of civilization. The poem returns at the end to
America in a moment of optimistic alchemy when
he sees the "muddy bosom" of the Mississippi "turn
all golden in the sunset".
I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the
world and older than the
flow of human blood in human
veins.
My soul has grown deep like
the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when
dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo
and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and
raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the
Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans,
and I've seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the
sunset.
I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
From PoetryArchive.org
•What is the tone or mood of this poem?
•Why do you think the poem was written and for what audience?
•List two things in this poem that tell you about life in the United States at the time.
My soul has
grown deep like
the rivers.
I, too, sing America.
I, too, sing America
(1920s)
Listen to Langston Hughes read
his poem
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the
kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
'I, Too' written just before Hughes’ return to the States
from Europe and after he'd been denied passage on a
ship because of his color, has a contemporary feel in
contrast to the mythical dimension of 'The Negro
Speaks of Rivers'. It is no less powerful however, in
its expression of social injustice. The calm clear
statements of the 'I' have an unstoppable force like the
progress the poem envisages. Hughes's dignified
introductions to these poems and his beautiful
speaking voice render them all the more moving.
And eat well,
From PoetryArchive.org
Besides,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,“
Then.
•What is the tone or mood of this poem?
They'll see how beautiful I am
•Why do you think the poem was written and for what audience?
And be ashamed--
•List two things in this poem that tell you about life in the United States at the time.
I, too, am America.
Music of the HR
•
•
•
•
Bessie Smith
Duke Ellington
Louis Armstrong
Cab Calloway
The Jazz Age
• “Jazz music is idiosyncratic by nature where
the performer creates the rhythm. There is truly
no incorrect way to play Jazz. J.A. Roger wrote,
" Jazz isn't just music, but also a spirit that can
express itself in almost everything," It was in
many ways a revolt against constraints because
it was so joyous. Typically instrumented by
piano, string bass, and drums, jazz began to
take charge of the new era of music. “
– -- Kwa King, “The Jazz Age”
“The Jazz Singer”
• 1927 musical film. 1st full
length feature motion picture,
using synchronized dialogue.
• “Talkies” film.
Josephine Baker (19061975), captivated
audiences with a wild new
dance called the
Charleston.
“Louis Armstrong’s station in the history of jazz is
unimpeachable. If it weren’t for him, there wouldn’t be any
of us.” Dizzy Gillespie, 1971
Duke Ellington
1899-1974
Duke Ellington
brought a level
of style and
sophistication
to Jazz that it
hadn't seen
before. By the
time of his
passing, he was
considered
amongst the
world’s
greatest
composers and
musicians.
The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s
“Take The A Train”
Billy Strayhorn for the Duke Ellington Orchestra
You must take the A train
To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem
If you miss the A train
You'll find you missed the quickest
way to Harlem
Hurry, get on, now it's coming
Listen to those rails a-humming
All aboard, get on the A train
Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in
Harlem
“Take The A Train”
Billy Strayhorn for the Duke Ellington Orchestra
You must take the A train
To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem
If you miss the A train
You'll find you missed the quickest
way to Harlem
Hurry, get on, now it's coming
Listen to those rails a-humming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnurVNkg62Q
All aboard, get on the A train
Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in
Harlem
•What is the tone or mood of this recording?
•Why do you think the original recording was made and for what audience?
•List two things in this sound recording that tell you about life in the United
States at the time.
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ_4cRG8B1g (Ella version)
The visual art of the Harlem Renaissance was
an attempt at developing a new AfricanAmerican aesthetic in the fine arts.
Believing that their life experiences were valuable
sources of material for their art, these artists
created an iconography of the
Harlem Renaissance era.
Thematic content included
Africa as a source of inspiration,
African-American history,
folk idioms, (music and religion of the South),
and social injustice.
This sculpture by Meta Warrick
Fuller, anticipated the spirit and style
of the Harlem Renaissance by
symbolizing the emergence of the
New Negro.
Fuller said she was thinking about
the average African-American,
whom she envisioned “awakening,
gradually unwinding the bondage of
his past and looking out on life again,
expectant and unafraid.”
The Awakening of Ethiopia
1914
Henry Ossawa Tanner
The Banjo Lesson, 1893
Tanner wanted to show
a positive image of the
African-American by
highlighting the sense
of dignity as in the
touching moment of the
elder teaching the boy how
to play the banjo. Tanner
also chose the banjo
because of its African
origin and its being the
most popular musical
instrument used by the
slaves in early America
Aaron Douglas
1898-1979
“I refuse to
compromise
and see blacks as
anything less than a
proud and majestic
people.”
Window Cleaning, 1935
William H. Johnson Street-life Harlem
Palmer Hayden,
The Janitor Who Paints, 1937
In this symbolic selfportrait, Hayden is at
work in his basement
studio, surrounded by the
tools of his dual
professions, a palette,
brushes and easel, and a
garbage can, broom, and
feather duster. The
painter’s studio is also his
bedroom, and his bed,
night table, alarm clock,
and a framed picture of a
cat are seen in the
background.
Robert Gwathmey
1903-1988
Custodian, 1963
Gwathmey was raised in
Virginia, but it was not
until his return to the
South after years of art
schooling in New York that
he began to empathize with
the African-American
experience.
He commented, “If I had
never gone back home,
perhaps I would never have
painted the Negro.”
Lawrence commented,
“What did I see when I
arrived in Harlem in 1930?
I was thirteen years of age.
I remember seeing the
movement, the life, the
people, the excitement. We
were going through a great,
great depression at that time,
but despite that, I think,
there was always hope.”
Jacob Lawrence
Aspiration 1988
Jacob Lawrence Dancing Doll, 1947
Edward Burra, 1934
Hale Woodruff
Study the painting by Lois Jones. Form an
overall impression of the painting, then
start to focus on individual details.
Questions to think about:
“Ascent from Ethiopia”, Lois Mailou Jones. 1932
1.
What images do you see?
2.
What colors do you see?
3.
What actions/activities do you
see?
4.
Consider the scale of the images.
What can you tell about the
intended narrative of the piece?
5.
What questions does this painting
raise in your mind?
6.
What story does this painting tell
about the Harlem Renaissance?
The HR. gave birth the many important publications, such as Crisis
magazine, edited by W. E. B. DuBois, giving black writers
a forum where their voices could be heard.
W.E.B. DuBois
•
•
•
•
•
•
First African American to receive a Ph.D. (1895 in History)
First great scholar of black life in America
– Published papers on black farmers, businessmen, black
communities
Hoped social science could help eliminate segregation
Concluded only effective strategy against racism was agitation
– Challenged dominant ideology of black accommodation
(Booker T. Washington urged blacks to accept
discrimination and elevate themselves through hard work
and economic gain to win the respect of whites)
– 1903 – The Souls of Black Folk – says Washington’s strategy
kept blacks down rather than freed them.
– “Education must not simply teach work – it must teach life”
1905 – founded Niagara Movement – advocating civil rights for
blacks – forerunner of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 – Served as
editor of it’s magazine “The Crisis”
Emphasized the necessity for higher education in order to
develop the leadership capacity among the most able 10 percent
of black Americans, whom he dubbed "The Talented Tenth.”
Alain Locke from “The New Negro”:
“So for generations in the mind of America, the
Negro has been more of a formula than a human
being --a something to be argued about, condemned
or defended, to be "kept down," or "in his place," or
"helped up," to be worried with or worried over,
harassed or patronized, a social bogey or a social
burden. The thinking Negro even has been induced to
share this same general attitude, to focus his attention
on controversial issues, to see himself in the distorted
perspective of a social problem. His shadow, so to
speak, has been more real to him than his personality
“
Marcus Garvey: Culture in Conflict
• Leader of African Americans in 1920s.
– “Struggle for Black Identity”
– United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)
• Back to Africa movement: hoped to take blacks back to Africa &
return with imports/products to trade with in the US markets.
• His leadership resulted in a growing spirit of race consciousness
and race pride
Historical Impact
• The Harlem Renaissance helped to redefine how
Americans and the world understood African
American culture.
• It integrated black and white cultures, and marked the
beginning of a black urban society.
• The Harlem Renaissance set the stage for the Civil
Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s.