THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE 1919- 1940
Click to edit Master subtitle style 5/5/12
Northern Migration and the Cultural Renaissance
Northern cities became a magnet for thousands of blacks fleeing the South after Reconstruction Era Lynchings, segregation and intolerable living conditions inspired migration to the North Industrial expansion created a demand for labor - employers eager to hire blacks WWI created more need for jobs previously held by white males
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Why Harlem?
Blacks settled in many cities: Chicago, Philadelphia, and Cleveland. New York City was the most popular destination because it was the largest and most famous Harlem was attractive because it was built to house middle and upper middle class whites, but became overbuilt and needed to include blacks or have increasing vacancies
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The Search for Identity
This influx of blacks from many different backgrounds created a variety of needs. As blacks were beginning to establish themselves in the post-WWI urban settings, they needed to find their own identity and acceptance in a mostly white world.
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The Central Mission
The composition of urban environments was diverse, with returning black soldiers, upscale and well-educated blacks, and blacks fleeing injustices in the south. They did not agree on how to accomplish task of creating a new identity.
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"The Talented Tenth"
The literary movement in Harlem sought to relieve this tension by working with the "Talented Tenth." This was a term coined by W.E.B. DuBois proposing that one in ten black men will become leaders of the race, through education and training. The literary movement proposed that black identity and social acceptance would be accomplished through the arts.
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A formal campaign
African-American newspapers and magazines published black manuscripts, created literary awards, and courted white patrons. A surge of new talent merged black and white writers and publishers. Such names to emerge were: Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, Jessie Fauset, Arna Bontemps, Jean Toomer, Claude McKay, and Langston Hughes.
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Taking matters into their own hands...
During the early Harlem Renaissance, African-American artists and writers seeking to publish their works turned to periodicals created, edited, and produced by other African Americans.
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On the Newstand...
When artists and writers did not find the appropriate periodical to publish their work among the many existing publications, they would often create new periodicals to reflect their particular views.
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Harlem and the Creative Movement
This movement proved very successful New York publishers took an interest in African American writers Harper & Brothers bought out Countee Cullen's book of poetry Color, Jean Toomer's book of fiction Cane, Claude McKay's Harlem Shadows
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Different perspectives
There was a lack of agreement as to the role of the African-American writer at this time. Some still felt they should follow a traditional approach, and others felt they should represent their race. These differences point to the amazing range of talent in the movement, and the development of different kinds of writing of the Harlem Renaissance.
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No Single Purpose
The Harlem Renaissance was not a onesided movement with only one purpose. It had an artistic, political and social agenda, promoted by the artists, writers and activists of the time. All would agree that art formed the bridge between individuals and cultures.
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