1. The Harlem Renaissance
I, Too, Sing America

2. Historical Context
Cultural movement in the early 1920’s involving African American artists, writers, musicians, and performers
Following WW1, blacks migrated north to a part of NYC called Harlem
Mainstream America began to develop a new respect for African art and culture

3. Marcus Garvey began the “Back to Africa” movement and started the Black Star shipping line
Newspapers published the work of African artists and sponsored literary contests to encourage young artists
In autobiographies, poetry, short stories, novels, and folklore, African American writers affirmed the role of black talent in American culture

4. All aspects of black life were explored and addressed in visual arts, music, and the written and spoken word
Some attacked racism, others addressed issues within the black community
A by-product was the affirmation that black dialects were as legitimate as standard English
The Great Depression brought the movement to an end

5. The Poets Claude McKay 1890-1948 Born and raised in Jamaica
First wrote poems in the Jamaican dialect
In 1914 he moved to Harlem and worked odd jobs while writing & publishing
McKay’s poems often voice his ambivalent and defiant feelings about black life in the United States

6. Countee Cullen
Grew up in NYC a brilliant student already writing and publishing in high school
Earned a Master’s degree from Harvard and edited the important African American magazine Opportunity
Although his style was influenced by British Romantic poets, he was repeatedly drawn to write about black issues

7. Langston Hughes
The most well known Harlem Renaissance poet, he wrote 15 volumes of poetry, 6 novels, 3 books of short stories, and 11 plays
Influenced greatly by Whitman’s free verse
Hughes used the repetitive structure of blues and the loose rhythms of jazz to “explain and illuminate the black condition in America”

8. One of the first African-American professors at New York University.
James W. Johnson
American author, politician, diplomat, critic, journalist, poet, anthologist, educator, lawyer, songwriter, and early civil rights activist.
Remembered best for his leadership within the NAACP & his novels, poems, and collections of folklore.
One of the first African-American professors at New York University.