At the turn of the century up until 1920, African American leaders’ strategies were less direct and more subtle;opposite of those of the African American leaders of the 1950-1960s. During World War I, many blacks settled in Harlem, New York seeking the opportunities the war brought. With the attention of the Harlem Renaissance brought African American Literature attracted attention from publishers and the nation. Using the attention it brought up, rather than direct about about the political issues, they were subtle and used culture to help express their ideas equality and civil rights. African American writers used their writing to express themselves, not caring what public opinion was. They spoke up against the racism in poems and artwork but never went up directly against the people who created the racism. In 1926, a group of African American writers produced a literary magazine. With the creation of the the magazine, writers like Wallace Thurman, Zora Neale Hurston, and Langston Hughes took over the renaissance literature. While their efforts were nonviolent like the leaders of the 1950s and 60s, their efforts went unheard. With the arrival of the Great Depression, the Harlem Renaissance declined.
The African American leaders of the 1950s and 60s were more direct about what they wanted then those of that came before them but still kept a nonviolent approach to