Life During The Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance was a complex, diverse movement driven by African Americans who introduced their unique heritage into American culture through a flourishing of art, literature, theater, and music (Hutchinson, Encyclopedia Britannica). It was an epochal era in which for the first time in history, African American artists attained critical acclaim (Jackson, Yale New Haven Institute). Furthermore, the hotbed of ideas was connected to the emerging civil rights movement which followed from this Renaissance (Hutchinson, Encyclopedia Britannica). While the precise date of the Harlem Renaissance’s genesis is disputed, it is generally thought to have emerged in the 1920’s. (Jackson, Yale New Haven Institute). For those who believe the movement
centered around entertainment, the vaudeville play Shuffle Along, written by comedians Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles, as well as musicians Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, got the momentum starting in 1921 (Wintz, Humanities Texas). In addition to creating demand for more African American performances, Shuffle Along helped bring Jazz music into the mainstream while also introducing influential black writers such as Langston Hughes to New York. (Wintz, Humanities Texas). The literary aspect of the movement was sparked in 1924, when the Civic Club Dinner, held to celebrate African American writers, got the attention of big-name publications such as Harper’s (Wintz, Humanities Texas). A plethora of conditions contributed to the Harlem Renaissance, including the industrial boom from World War I, Jim Crow Laws, a drop in the cost of real estate in Harlem, and white disillusionment from an increasingly commercial culture.
From 1900-1930, the black population of Northern cities such as Harlem doubled due to the Great Migration (Jackson, Yale New Haven Institute). Harlem in particular was a former upper-class white city which fell into hard times, causing property values to drop. African Americans, escaping the oppressive Jim Crow laws of the South and pursuing work at factories which thrived following World War I, were able to afford housing in Harlem. Since Harlem retained the theaters, libraries, and art galleries from its wealthy past, it had the facilities to become the locus of the african american art revolution. Its’ location in Manhattan and close proximity to Central Park also lent to its popularity over other cities. (Wintz, Humanities Texas). White Americans became enamored by the culture which developed in Harlem and packed bars such as The Cotton Club, a club which featured African American entertainers such as Jazz composer Duke Ellington (Hutchinson, Encyclopedia
Britannica). The Harlem Renaissance inspired a new generation of African American artists who imbued their work with their heritage rather than being ashamed of it.
James Weldon Johnson, an influential author of the Harlem Renaissance, wrote free-verse poetry based on the orator style of black preachers (Hutchinson, Encyclopedia Britannica). Authors Jean Toomer and Zora Neale Hurston, meanwhile, explored black southern heritage. (Wintz, Humanities Texas).” In addition, blues performers such as W. C. Handy and vocalist Ma Rainey popularized African American music (Wintz, Humanities Texas). Artists from New Orleans contributed to the musical culture of Harlem. Many jazz and blues artists gained recording contracts with Paramount, Columbia, and other major recording companies. Following the blossoming of African American music, visual artists like Aaron Douglas had their work published in magazines such as The Crisis. The Harmon Foundation provided black artists with opportunities to exhibit their artwork. (Wintz, Humanities
Texas). Furthermore, the Harlem Renaissance helped inspire the civil rights movement. Many artists wrote for radical magazines such as The Crisis, Opportunity, and The Messenger. (Jackson, Yale New-Haven Teachers Institute). W.E.B. Du Bois, the editor of The Crisis, the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, published widely read editorials which communicated his opinion that African Americans had a unique culture which, unlike the culture of white Americans, had not been rendered obsolete. (Hutchinson, Encyclopedia Britannica). The Harlem Renaissance is remarkable for its creativity; its’ significance was in giving African Americans a sense of pride and an identity that transcended racist stereotypes. This movement led many whites to begin to see African Americans as individuals, although the renaissance was far from the end to social inequity.