How the Arts Build Community Identity and Pride JESSIE MIZIC INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTS AND SCIENCES
Research My research is focused in understanding how the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920's and 1930's used the arts as a way to build community, identity and pride for African Americans in a way that had never been seen before.
The Arts have often had an instrumental role in improving and strengthening communities and the Harlem Renaissance is a prime example.
Key Message I will use four arguments for how the arts were able to unite the African American Community and create a sense of pride within the Harlem community that still exists today.
1st Point Defining a Movement The arts of the Harlem Renaissance helped to define a movement, brand a community and set it apart from others.
2 nd point Identity The arts of the Harlem Renaissance gave a sense of ownership, pride, belonging and cohesion within the African American Community.
3 rd Point Collective Memories While looking toward the future, there were artists who helped to preserve the past and a collective memory of what life had been like for many African Americans.
4 th Point Belonging The arts of the Harlem Renaissance helped to facilitate social cohesion and foster a dialogue that continues today about the past.
Building Community Identity & Pride Diverse communities were brought together with the help of the arts, providing opportunities for residents to reflect on their shared and individual experiences. (Coalter, 2001a; Lowe, 2000; Matarasso, 1997)
Ownership, Belonging & Pride Many struggling inner-city neighborhoods have used the arts as a means of redefining the community’s collective identity. The arts have enabled communities to transform a negative image of their neighborhood into a positive one. (Lowe, 2001; Matarasso, 1997)
Memories The arts of the Harlem Renaissance live beyond the lifespan of the individuals who created them and leave a legacy for future generations. The arts can be used in communities to encourage healing and celebration.
J A Z Z
Harlem Renaissance Literature
Art
Poetry "If We Must Die” If we must die, let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot, While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, Making their mock at our accursed lot. If we must die, O let us nobly die So that our precious blood may not be shed In vain; then even the monsters we defy Shall be constrained to honor us though dead! O kinsmen! We must meet the common foe! Though far outnumbered let us show us brave, And for their thousand blows deal one death blow! What though before us lies the open grave? Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back! Source: Claude McKay, “If We Must Die,” in Harlem Shadows: The Poems of Claude McKay (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1922).
Magazines
NAACP 1909
Night Life
Closing Harlem Renaissance used the arts to: Build a strong African American Identity. Define a movement and set it apart from others. Preserved the past and a collective memory. Brought social cohesion to unite people.
Sources and Research Coalter, Fred. (2001a). Realizing the potential of cultural services: Making a difference to the quality of life. London: Local Government Association. hannahvollmer.weebly.com/harlem- renaissance.html hannahvollmer.weebly.com/harlem- renaissance.html ali/harlem-renaissance-literature/ ali/harlem-renaissance-literature/ nce.html Lowe, S. (2000). Creating community. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 29(3), Lowe, S. (2001). The art of community transformation. Education and Urban Society, 33(4), Matarasso, F. (1997). Use or ornament: The social impact of participation in the arts. Stroud, England: Comedia conversations/harlem-renaissance-revisited /harlem_renaissance.html
Time’s Up! Jessie Mizic MAIS Graduate Student Ethnic Literature Studies BA Ethnic, Gender & Labor Studies UWT June 2013