The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s “Take The A Train” Billy Strayhorn for the Duke Ellington Orchestra You must take the A train To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem If you miss the A train You'll find you missed the quickest way to Harlem Hurry, get on, now it's coming Listen to those rails a-humming All aboard, get on the A train Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem What is the tone or mood of this recording? Why do you think the original recording was made and for what audience? List two things in this sound recording that tell you about life in the United States at the time.
What is it? The Harlem Renaissance was a flowering of African American social thought which was expressed through Paintings Music Dance Theater Literature
The island of Manhattan Where is Harlem? The island of Manhattan Neighborhoods New York City is on Manhattan island
Where was the Harlem Renaissance centered? Centered in the Harlem district of New York City, the New Negro Movement (as it was called at the time) had a major influence across the Unites States and even the world.
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 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.
Who? Many of these people were part of the Great Migration out of the South and other racially stratified communities.
Between 1910 and 1930, the African American population in the North rose by about 20 percent overall. Cities such as Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Cleveland had some of the biggest increases.
Notable Writers Langston Hughes Countee Cullen Zora Neale Hurston
Langston Hughes
Notable Artists Self Portrait with Bandana, William Johnson
Willian H. Johnson “Harlem scene with full moon” “Jitterbugs II” “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” “Street Life Harlem” “Chain Gang” “Moon Over Harlem”
How did it impact history? The Harlem Renaissance helped to redefine how Americans and the world understood African American culture. It integrated black and white cultures, and marked the beginning of a black urban society. The Harlem Renaissance set the stage for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s.
Walter Dean Myers 1937-present
As a child Born in 1937 in West Virginia in the midst of the Great Depression. His mother died when he was a toddler. He was adopted soon afterward by a family friend. Foster father worked as a janitor and foster mother taught him to read.
Filling a Void Myers didn’t like how African Americans were portrayed as uneducated and “nonserious” in the media. The characters in his books are thoughtful and real. Settings are often urban, mixing danger with excitement. Endings aren’t perfect or overly romanticized.