1920’s- 1930’s

 Many in the Harlem Renaissance were part of the Great Migration out of the South into the negro neighborhoods of the North and Midwest  Industrialization was attracting people to cities from rural areas and gave rise to a new mass culture  African Americans sought a better standard of living and relief from the institutionalized (normalcy) racism in the South  Others were people of African descent from racially segregated communities in the Caribbean who came to the United States hoping for a better life  Uniting most was through their travel to Harlem, New York City

 Once an exclusive district and suburb for both white middle and upper classes, with stately houses, grand avenues and amenities such as the stadiums and an opera house  Because of the large number of European immigrants flowing through the late 19 th century, Harlem was abandoned by the white middle-class  Harlem became the center of this expanding negro neighborhood and middle class  1910, a large block along 135th Street and Fifth Avenue was bought by various African-American realtors and church groups  Other cities in which negro communities traveled to were Chicago, Philadelphia & Cleveland

 A few of the first representations of the Harlem Renaissance was started in the late 1910’s  Examples include:  In 1917 an all negro play and cast Three Plays for a Negro Theatre was introduced  In 1919 black writers, Claude McKay & James Weldon Johnson were published, focusing on the reality of negro life in America  1920’s embodied a great deal of jazz music, blossomed and became very popular with the citizens of Harlem  Growth as well as development of the style & culture of Negros was becoming more attractive to whites  White novelists, dramatists and composers started to appreciate the musical tendencies and themes of African-Americans within their own works

 Ideas of this “New Negro” stemmed from:  Racial Pride/Racial Identity  Intellect and production of literature, art, and music contributed to the challenge of slowly erasing the racial and stereotypical shame placed on the black race  These artistic styles served to uplift the race  Included perspectives of both “high-culture” & “low-culture” Negros  Duality created various depictions of black life  Location (Harlem) obviously played a significant role because it was primarily African American  Created a sense of unity, fighting for the same cause and even the passion of introducing the “Negro Voice”

 The “Negro Voice” consisted of:  Experience of Slavery  Experience of the modern black life in the urban North  Exploring the idea of black identity  Effects of Racism  Dilemmas of writing of the elite, white audiences

 It was not only an explosion of the artistic realm, but also culture perspective  The success of the Harlem Renaissance changed the view of blacks from those strictly involved & those admiring it from afar  It redefined how America, and the world, viewed the African-American population  The migration of southern Blacks to the north changed the image of the African-American from rural, undereducated peasants to one of urban, cosmopolitan sophistication  This new identity led to a greater social consciousness, and African-Americans became players on the world stage, expanding intellectual and social contacts internationally  Urban setting of rapidly developing Harlem provided a venue for African-Americans of all backgrounds to appreciate the variety of Black life and culture