Alian Locke African American Poetry January 17, 2013

Early Life O Alain Locke was born on September 13, 1885 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the only child of a middle-class highly educated family. O Locke embraced the idea from his mother that, “the values of piety, thrift, respectability, and personal culture” was the right way to live.

Education O Young Locke attended the Central High School of Philadelphia and the School of Pedagogy. O At the School of Pedagogy Locke studied a wide range of subjects including, the English literary tradition, composition, Greek, and philosophy, and entered Harvard in 1904 and graduated magna cum laude in 1907.

Education cont.… O Upon graduating from Harvard University, Locke was the first African American named a Rhodes Scholar in O Many of his fellow Americans disapproved of the Rhodes committee’s decision to award the Scholarship to an African American.

Education cont.… O Shortly after Locke received his BA from Harvard he traveled to England, where he began studies at Oxford University ( ). O As an undergraduate, Locke had not felt or perhaps, did not accept, the string of racial discrimination, because he studied in Cambridge. He had a difficult time at Oxford, both academically and personally, because of his experience of racial prejudice, something that would inform his future.

Education cont.…. O In 1918, Locke received his Ph. D degree in philosophy from Harvard. O Locke’s academic experiences at Harvard would prove to be important for his thoughts on race and on the Harlem Renaissance.

“Cultural Pluralism” O Aware of his conflicting schools of philosophy, Locke turned toward a form of “cultural pluralism,” originated from Horace Kallen, that taught the idea that there are differences in “color, faith, sex, occupation, possessions”. O Locke was concerned with aesthetics, and emphasized the necessity of determining values to guide human conduct and interrelationships.

Civic Center Dinner O Locke’s, work on black literature allowed him to become successful. O The March 1924 Civic Center dinner brought together over one hundred prominent publishers, writers, and others. It was named the “coming out party” that marked a growing self- consciousness and a newer school of writers. O His role at the dinner marked the beginning of success as he was appointed the Master of Ceremonies which solidified his position as the “virtual dean of the movement.

The Harlem Renaissance O The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement/turning point, an era in which black people liberated themselves from a past liberated with images of slavery and reveled in pride for all things black.

“The New Negro” O The New Negro: An Interpretation (1925)