1. The Harlem Renaissance
Harlem, NY – 1920’s
An upsurge in African American
cultural expression

2. Harlem Renaissance
Occurred during the Great Migration of 1916 through the 1920s—millions of black farmers and sharecroppers moved to the urban North in search of opportunity and freedom.
Thousands of migrants settled in Harlem, a New York City neighborhood that quickly became the cultural center of African-American life.
The country was in the middle of the “Roaring 20s”, a time of economic prosperity

3. Harlem Renaissance
Organizations such as the NAACP were forming to fight for civil rights
These organizations had journals to spread their message
Many Harlem Renaissance writers were first published in these new journals

4. Harlem Renaissance
Reflected on what it meant to be black and educated in a white world
Wrote poems and stories inspired by current events, jazz music, and emulating classic writers
Expressed a pride in their cultural identity and heritage

5. Harlem Renaissance
Much literature and art was inspired by the blues of New Orleans
Roots in gospel music and spirituals from the time of slavery
Expression of hard times

6. Harlem Renaissance
Langston Hughes emerged as one of the era’s most prolific and famous writers of poetry and prose
Focused on poor and working class African-Americans, a group that had been largely ignored

7. Harlem Renaissance
The economic collapse of the Great Depression (1929) forced the movement to end prematurely
Writers and artists scattered and had to find work, leaving less time for art
The Harlem Renaissance planted the seeds for the Civil Rights movement that wouldn’t occur for another 40 years