Black History – Harlem Renaissance
The month of February celebrates numerous holidays such as President’s Day, Groundhog Day, the very beloved Valentine’s Day, and many more. However, although these holidays are significant to some culture, one holiday is so important that it cannot just be celebrated within one day. Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. In 1976, Black History Month was officially acknowledged by the U.S. government, President Gerald Ford in which his speech stated, “In celebrating Black History Month, we can take satisfaction from this recent progress in the realization of the ideals envisioned by our Founding Fathers, but, even more than this, we can seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history." However, due to black history having so many individual layers, the focus of this article will be the Harlem Renaissance and its diversity.
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem, New York, spanning the 1920s. Lasting roughly from the 1910s through the mid-1930s, the period is considered a golden age in African American culture, manifesting in literature, music, stage performance and art. During this era, African American writers, artists, musician, and etc. were renowned for their contributions to world culture and goal was finding outlets for group expression and self-determination as a means of achieving equality and civil rights. During World war one, American factories experienced a shortage of workers. Many African Americans living in the south saw this as a chance for a better life which caused many to migrate to the northern cities. The New York City neighborhood of Harlem attracted a large number of talented African Americans such as W.E.B DuBois, Claude McKay, Count Basie, Paul Robeson, and many others. Works produced during the Harlem Renaissance appealed not only to the black audience but crossed over to white audiences as well. The white audience, however, took African American produced work and performed it on Broadway. One of the very popular writers during the era, Langston Hughes was among the periods most famous writer due to his jazz-like poetry. Black America’s clothing scene took a dramatic turn from the prim and proper during the Harlem Renaissance. Many young women preferred extreme versions of current white fashions - from short skirts and silk stockings to drop-waist dresses and cloche hats.
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Writer: Aeneas
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