Why African Americans Today Should Care About their African American descendants from The Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance, also known during that time as the Negro Movement, briefly started in the 1920’s and came to an end in the 1930’s. Although the Harlem Renaissance was a short period in history it marked and created a great movement for all African Americans. Many people during this time became well known in subjects as music, writing, and art. The work and material that these African American individuals produced during this period in history have shown future Africans American individuals to chase their own dreams. These people will stay in history but their work and accomplishments during this period will be carried on into the future.

The beginning of the Harlem Renaissance marked a new role that African Americans would play in our society. During this time African Americans became well known around the world for numerous accomplishments, for example music, poetry, novels, and arts. African Americans after World War One were well educated and had many opportunities to become employed. Due to less job opportunities in the South at this time, this led many African Americans to the industrial cities, where there were many job opportunities being handed out, and where African Americans could make something more of themselves. Many African Americans at this time ended up in New York, particularly in the neighborhood of Harlem where there were many jobs being offered. This led to a large population of African Americans in Harlem, New York during this time period. Then, due to the great number of them being well educated this led to the start of many of these African Americans adventuring out into a variety of different categories. African American venturing out into new opportunities led to the development of groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The NAACP enabled more African Americans to proceed in any direction that they would like to go in without having to face the same difficulties that their descendants before them did. Due to the creation of the NAACP African Americans at this time during the Harlem Renaissance were not segregated against due to the color of their skin, and were not rejected to any type of affiliation (Encarta).
One example of a African American person that was able to fulfill their dreams during this time was Langston Hughes. Langston Hughes is one of the most famous writers and poets of the Harlem Renaissance time period. He’s most famous for his poem “Montage of a Dream Deferred”, for capturing “Harlem”. His most famous and important book of the Harlem Renaissance, published in 1961, is considered to be “Black Nativity”. During this time he was said to have put the African American name into a well respected and meaningful one from around the world. He did this by sharing with the world during this time period his perspective on racial segregation and Harlem as a whole. He did this by creating such works as “Black Nativity”, to show African Americans that there is more to life out there than what people have said that African Americans are allowed to have. “Langston Hughes, in "The Negro and the Racial Mountain," argued that these writings catered to African Americans who sought so much to fit into white society that they rejected aspects of their own heritage” (Karsten). They believed that African Americans should be proud of their roots, and should commend their own people for making a way for people of the same color to follow in their path.

The Harlem Renaissance also brought a time of enjoyment of different music genres, for example jazz and blues. The most popular of them all was jazz, which combined blues and ragtime. Some of the most famous musicians who played these genres were Edward Kennedy Ellington (also known as “Duke Ellington”) who played at the Harlem’s Cotton Club, and due to the publicity of Harlem’s Cotton Club because of Duke Ellington; his name was well known around the world, from both black and white listeners. His most famous songs were “Don’t get around much anymore”, “Sophisticated Lady”, and “Sentimental Mood”. As well as Duke Ellington, there were many other musicians both man and women that contributed to the Harlem Renaissance, for example Lena Horne, and Bessie Smith. These musicians led to most of the enjoyment of the Harlem Renaissance. Their music enabled many people to spend many hours of the nights at numerous clubs, enjoying the music of many of these talented musicians and singers.

Upon the arrival of poets, writers, singers, and musicians, the Harlem Renaissance also brought a time of art. Some famous artists that were known during this time were Sargent Claude Johnson, Jacob Lawrence, and Lois Mailou Jones. Sargent Claude Johnson’s art during this time was influenced by many different cultures, for example Cubism, West Africa, Latin America, and Mexican. Sargent Claude Johnson would then use these influences that he had observed from studying these different cultures, and then molding it into his own technique, and therefore creating his own original piece. "It is the pure American Negro I am concerned with, aiming to show the natural beauty and dignity in that characteristic lip and that characteristic hair, bearing and manner; and I wish to show that beauty not so much to the white man as to the Negro himself" – (Johnson). He believed that African Americans should realize and see the true beauty within them. As well as all of these artists, they all tried in some way through their many paintings and sculptures that they created during this time period to get the message across to African Americans that they are beautiful.

There were many reasons as to why the Harlem Renaissance came to an end during the 1930’s. For example, the Great Depression and the stock market crash of 1929 played a big role as to why the Harlem Renaissance ended. The main cause of the Great Depression was the stock market crash. Due to the Great Depression many people around the world lost their jobs and many companies and industries went out of business. With loosing their jobs, and companies going out of business, instead of making money people are loosing it, so The Great Depression marked a period of saving not spending. With people not being able to go out to night clubs listening to their favorite musicians, for example Duke Ellington and Bessie Smith many of these African American singers, musicians, poets, artists, and authors didn’t get the publicity that they usually got before The Great Depression. Writers and poets were still able to publish their writings and books, the public wouldn’t just be able to buy as much of them, as they would have had The Great Depression not happened.

African Americans everywhere who participated and were a part of the Harlem Renaissance deserve recognition. Many African Americans during this time accomplished so much more than their descendants before them would have ever dreamed to have accomplished in their lifetime. The African American race has come such a long way in society, especially when it comes to being equal to the white race at this time in history. During the Harlem Renaissance African Americans produced books, poetry, and music. But most importantly African Americans showed during the Harlem Renaissance, that they are so much more than what people say. African Americans showed during this time, that they can do just as much as a regular white person can do, and that they have no limits, and could exceed in whatever they themselves put their minds to. This period marked the movement for all African Americans to reach for their dreams and not let what anyone did or said stand in their way of succeeding in their life, and the goals that they had set for themselves.

African Americans everywhere should care about the accomplishments of their African American descendants during the Harlem Renaissance, because it shows them as well as everyone else that African Americans are unique in their own way. In today’s society African Americans are still put in a stereotype that they are to look, dress, and act a certain way. Unfortunately, many people in today’s society still believe that. We each come with are our set of talents and beliefs, and choose to take our own path in life. Hearing all of these negative comments and statements directed towards African Americans, gives them the opinion that this is what we are, this is how we are suppose to be, and just because people say it, makes it true. In today’s society when many people look at the average African -American person, they think thugs, gangsters, and gang members. They have somehow formed this opinion that every African- American person are suppose to act as they say “black”. Then when these people meet a well - educated African American individual that can pronounce their words correctly and wants to do others things with their future other than selling drugs and being in a gang, they think that there’s something wrong with that. We each choose the path that we decide to take in life. But those decisions that we make can sometimes be influenced by what the people in your community or society think of you or your race as a whole.

Letting African Americans today learn about the accomplishments of their African American descendants from the Harlem Renaissance, enables them to believe that their lives can go in any direction that they choose. It enables them not to put themselves in one certain category. It shows them that they are able to achieve so much more in life and everything else that they do and not just excepting the bare minimum that people say that they are able to have and achieve for themselves.


Works Cited
CBS. BNET. 2008. 10 October 2008 <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EPF/is_18_101/ai_82650370>.

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Duke Ellington. African Americans. 2007. 10 October 2008 <http://www.africanamericans.com/DukeEllington.htm>.
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Brownstone By Jacob Lawrence

Brownstones created in 1958 by Jacob Lawrence displays and image of African Americans in Harlem, New York during the Harlem Renaissance. It doesn’t say that the art piece was depicted in Harlem, New York, but in previous paintings that Jacob Lawrence has created, including his Migration Series, he is mainly showing life during slavery in the South, and then life after slavery in the North; particularly Harlem, New York. The painting itself involves a lot of bright colors. For example; reds, blues, yellows, browns and orange. As opposed to dark colors, for example blacks and dark browns.

The reason for this maybe is because in this painting Jacob Lawrence is probably trying to show the change of African Americans lifestyle, future, and hope that they now have after slavery is over. So in his paintings of African Americans life in slavery, he displays it as a dark and hard lifestyle, where African Americans have no hope, can’t display imagination, or dream of anywhere else but where they are currently living. But in this depiction of African Americans Jacob Lawrence is showing hope, a new change of lifestyle, and imagination. Now African Americans are able to afford more expensive clothing, can dream and imagine, because they now have the freedom to do so.

Particular parts in the painting of Brownstone, for example of the woman, her husband, and their baby in the carriage, show one example of something that would never have happened back in the South during slavery. The reason for this, is because African Americans during slavery particularly the men were separated from their families. So in very rare occasions and mostly not at all did children know who their father was. So to see in this painting that African American families are still together during this time period is something that should show progress.

This painting doesn’t show that African Americans lifestyle is perfect after slavery, but it does display that African Americans have made a change in their life, and are working towards something more for their families and them.
Image Works Cited

Whitney Museum of American Art. Whitney. 2001. 30 October 2008 <http://www.whitney.org/jacoblawrence/art/neighborhood.html>

The Migration Series

Jacob Lawrence received a $1,500 scholarship in the year of 1940. After receiving this fellowship from the Rosenwald Foundation Jacob Lawrence had to create a series of sixty-one panels based on the Great Migration. At this time the Great Migration was the movement of African Americans from the South to the North after World War 2. This was considered the biggest movement for African Americans after slavery ended. The Great Migration series that Jacob Lawrence created were suppose to be kept together as one whole piece, but ended up being split due to the joint purchase from the Museum of Modern Art and Phillips Collection. In order to create these series of paintings Jacob Lawrence conducted his research at the Schomburg Collection located in Harlem, New York. Jacob Lawrence ended completing these paintings in the year of 1941 (Whitney Museum of American Art).

Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series depicts African Americans seeking out a better life for them and their families after slavery. These sixty-one panels could be split in half; one half of life for African Americans while still living in the South during slavery, and then the other half was after slavery and African Americans living in the North particularly Harlem, New York. The first half, when African Americans were still living with life in the South during the influence of the KKK, was depicted in Jacob Lawrence’s paintings as being an unwelcoming, depressing, and a country style landscape, where for example segregation, lynching’s, discrimination, hunger, and poverty would prevail. After migrating to the North in Harlem, New York, Jacob Lawrence showed through his paintings of the other half of the movement that African Americans now had something to look forward to. African Americans were dreaming, imagining, and had hope. These words did not exist in their vocabulary when living in the South under all of those negative influences (Whitney Museum of American Art).

People believe that Jacob Lawrence’s paintings of the Migration Series gave African Americans of that time period hope. Hope that things will turn around for the interior black community. That African Americans will have more opportunities of that of a white person. The Migration Series marked the potential and the start for African Americans to grow, and be more than just a “negro”, a “black person”, but just a person.

Works Cited
Whitney Museum of American Art. Whitney. 2001. 28 October 2008 < http://www.whitney.org/jacoblawrence/art/migration_series.html>

Jacob Lawrence

Jacob Lawrence was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1917 on September 7. Before living in Harlem, New York at the time of the Harlem Renaissance Jacob Lawrence and his family first lived in Easton, Pennsylvania. After the split of his parents Jacob’s mother took Jacob and his brother and sister to Philadelphia, where the children had to stay in a foster home, while their mother worked. Then at the age of thirteen Jacob and his family soon moved to Harlem, New York where his mother had learned of many job opportunities there. (Perlin)

While living in Harlem, New York City Jacob started to pay attention to the surroundings around him. For example, he started noticing his neighborhood, differences in the buildings, and the people. While living in Harlem Jacob took after school classes at Utopia Children’s House. During the time Jacob spent here, his most favorite activity to do was art. He was led while attending Utopia Children’s House by a mentor by the name of Charles Alston. Who was an artist, teacher, and mentor at Columbia University Teacher’s College. (Perlin)

In 1937 Jacob Lawrence was offered a two year scholarship to the American Artists School. But unfortunately having to juggle both a job and high school at the same Jacob Lawrence dropped out of American Artists School. He eventually found a job at the age of twenty one at the WPA Federal Art Project, where he worked as a professional painter. At this time Jacob Lawrence created paintings that showed “the African American” living in Harlem, New York at the time of the Great Depression. His painting during this time portrayed poverty, police intimidation, and racial exploitation. His most famous paintings known at this time were his series of forty one paintings on the life of Toussaint L’ Ouverture. (Jacob and Gwen Knight Lawrence Foundation)
He then went on to marry Gwendolyn Knight, who was also a painter and sculptor. After getting married they lived in New Orleans then moved to Virginia. After staying there for a while, they eventually moved back to Harlem, New York. After getting married Jacob Lawrence pursued many careers other than painting. For example, after coming back to Harlem, New York Jacob Lawrence was drafted into the Coast Guard, and another career interest that he pursued was teaching. When African American history wasn’t taught back in Harlem, New York during this time in schools Jacob Lawrence would go around and share his expertise on painting to these kids instead (Jacob and Gwen Knight Lawrence Foundation).

In Jacob Lawrence’s paintings he uses bright colors. For example blue, red, orange, and yellow. In his paintings except for his mural he uses water colors. For the depiction of the African American he seems to stick to blacks and light browns. In each of his paintings including his murals, he seems to be showing the struggle that African Americans have gone through and how they now have ended up in society (Jacob and Gwen Knight Lawrence Foundation).

Works Cited

Gwendolyn Knight. Jacob Lawrence. 2003. 25 October 2008 <http://www.cs.washington.edu/building/art/JacobLawrence/>

Phillips. Phillips Collection. Unknown. 25 October 2008 <http://www.phillipscollection.org/lawrence/html/over01.html>

Whitney Museum of American Art. Whitney. 2002. 25 October 2008 < http://www.whitney.org/jacoblawrence/meet/index.html>

Jacob and Gwen Knight Lawrence Foundation. 2005. 25 October 2008.
<http://www.jacobandgwenlawrence.org/>

Thomas Gale. Galegroup. 2005. 25 October 2008
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Artists from The Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance was the period of African American works, one of which was art. During this time many artist of this time period were motivated and influenced by their surroundings. At this time in history their surroundings in Harlem, New York at the time were African Americans making a difference through their work. Some artists from the Harlem Renaissance include Aaron Douglas, Palmer Hayden, and Jacob Lawrence. These people tried to capture “the new African American”. Before this period African Americans were considered to be lazy, disrespectful, and only good for one thing; hard labor. Artists from the Harlem Renaissance changed this stereotype.

During this time period the majority of African American artists were motivated and influenced to paint due to what they saw around them. Mainly being African Americans trying to change and influence the lives of younger African Americans, by showing them they can make a difference. For example Aaron Douglas referred to at this time as “The Father of Black American Art”, mainly due to the fact that he was very interested in African American art, and learned to draw using African styles. Showed through his many murals and paintings, for example his series of Negro Life: From Slavery through Reconstruction, how the African American race has grown and progressed through the years, and has created a better and more successful life for themselves, and their children that follow in their paths. Through this series Aaron Douglas tries to capture both life back in slavery, then slowly merging into how life is during the Harlem Renaissance where African Americans through their accomplishments during this time period were put into a whole new perspective (ArtsEdge).

Specific traits that these artists used in their paintings were bright light colors, for example blue, oranges, greens, but these colors were also paired with the depiction in these paintings of the dark African American, some of which did not have any eyes, nose, or mouth. In others though, it would show African Americans doing a simple task, for example walking or talking. But in these depictions African Americans were different shades of blacks and browns. This showing people that not all African Americans are created, made, and look the same. It seemed like in each of the paintings that I looked at the each artist was some how trying to show to people that African Americans can do just as much as anyone else can. Because n some of the paintings these artists created, they painted pictures of African Americans in suits, like they were in the navy or military, and in some of them, some of the artists had African Americans doing simple task that anyone could do. For example in some of these paintings there were African Americans painting a wall, walking, talking to someone, and dancing. I think the main focus of the pieces that I saw was to show people that African Americans are just like everyone else.

Artists from the Harlem Renaissance not only marked a way for other African Americans to realize their true potentials within themselves, and enable them to follow their own dreams. This also changed the stereotype of all African Americans. For example not all of these artists from the Harlem Renaissance painted art pieces that focused on African Americans back in slavery and showed how much they have changed and moved up in society since then. But some of the art pieces that I did see, for example some by Jacob Lawrence had Africans American in these paintings doing things that any regular person could do. The reason that this is so important, is because people back then in society thought that African Americans were some how strange and different in some way that they should not be allowed to coexist with regular society. Had this been true though African Americans would not have been able to do the things that regular every day people could do. Also if regular people and African Americans were able to do what regular everyday people could, why differentiate between the two races?

Works Cited

Artsedge. Artsedge Kennedy Center. Unknown. 25 October 2008 <http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2248/2248_harlemvoices_artists.pdf>

Ross. Modernism 101. 2004. 25 October 2008 <http://www.modernism101.com/wpa_pm_douglas.php
www.aarondouglas.ku.edu/resources/family_guide.pdf>