The Harlem Renaissance When black identity was reborn in Harlem, N.Y., and found expression in music, literature, art, theater and politics between 1900s-1930s.

The Birth of “The New Negro” Between 1910 and 1920, there was a huge migration of blacks from the south to some of the great cities in the north, including Washington D.C., New York city and Chicago.

How does the Harlem Renaissance connect to the Great Migration? The economic opportunities of the era triggered a widespread migration of black Americans from the rural south (due to Black Codes) to the industrial centers of the north - and especially to New York City. In New York and other cities, black Americans explored new opportunities for intellectual and social freedom. Black American artists, writers, and musicians began to use their talents to work for civil rights and obtain equality.

How does the Harlem Renaissance connect to World War One? Thousands of African American Soldiers came back from World War One looking for opportunity. Many found a safe haven in the music and the arts. However, many African American soldiers came back disillusioned and upset due to the still present racial inequality that continued to exist in the U.S. We fought and died for this country why can’t we be equal!!

The Harlem Hell Fighters

New York’s Harlem was known as the place to be! Jazz music found a home; black music that resonated in the hearts of whites as well. Clubs sprang up - the famous Cotton Club and the Lenox Lounge, among others.

Harlem: A New Mecca Harlem became the capital of black America. It came to be known as the new “Mecca” for African- Americans. The seeds of a new Black Identity were sown with the growth of music, art, theater and literature in Harlem.

Harlem: The magnet that attracted creative minds. Harlem became the magnet for writers, musicians, artists, political activists, and ordinary people who just wanted to have a good time. Music: “Take The ‘A’ Train -Duke Ellington Two important Civil Rights groups started in Harlem: the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and the National Urban League, founded in 1911 to help new arrivals from the rural south.

Leaders of that era: Marcus Garvey Marcus Garvey was born in Jamaica. He founded the newspaper The Negro World. In 1917, he founded UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association) in Harlem. Garvey’s famous cry was "Africa for the Africans.”

Leaders of that Era (continued): W.E.B. Dubois William Edward Burghardt DuBois, born in Massachusetts, was one of the founders of the NAACP in He was also the editor of its magazine “Crisis.” A writer and civil rights activist, Dubois was the intellectual soul of the Harlem Renaissance. He has been termed the “Renaissance man of African-American letters.”

Langston Hughes:The Poet Laureate of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes, was born in Joplin, Missouri in 1902, but he made his home in Harlem, N.Y. Langston Hughes wrote novels, short stories and plays, as well as poetry, and worked with jazz artists in shaping his own poetry.

The Negro Speaks of Rivers ~Langston Hughes I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above. I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset. I've known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above. I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset. I've known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers. My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

Edward Kennedy Ellington (“Duke Ellington”)  Duke Ellington was the foremost among the great big band composers and musicians of the Harlem Renaissance period and beyond.  He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  He also received honorary doctorates from Howard and Yale Universities. “My favorite tune? The next one. The one I’m writing tonight or tomorrow, The new baby is always the favorite.” Duke Ellington

Music of the Harlem Renaissance: Jazz, Blues, Swing Eleanora Fagan Holiday – “Billie” - was one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time. “Strange Fruit,” an eerie and evocative song about the lynching of a black man is one of her most famous songs. “Before anybody could compare me with other singers, they were comparing other singers to me.” – Billie Holiday

Other musicians from that time period: Bessie Smith, originally a street musician in Chattanooga, Tennessee, recorded and performed with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. Louis Armstrong, originally from New Orleans, played in NYC with Fletcher Henderson for thirteen months and shot into national fame in the 1920s. Bessie Smith Louis Armstrong Lost Your Head Blues Sung by Bessie Smith, “Empress of the Blues.”

Theater during the Harlem Renaissance: Between 1912 and 1927, black theatres began featuring several different kinds of acts: Vaudeville, minstrel shows, singers, dancers, jugglers, clowns, comedians, dancers, etc. Some of the more renowned performers were: S. H. Dudley, Andrew Tribble, Jeannie Pearl, Laurence Chenault, and Ethel Waters.