The Five W's of the Harlem Renaissance
by Toi M. Ford
What was the Harlem Renaissance?
The Harlem Renaissance, also referred to as The New Negro Movement, has been described in a multitude of ways. It has been
called a blossoming of African American culture especially in the creative arts, a flowering of African American intellectual life, and
the efflorescence of African-American cultural production. Add to them all that the Harlem Renaissance was a veritable explosion of African American art, music, dance, poetry, literature, intellectualism and activism and you have a quite an accurate description of one of the most profound, exciting, engaging and complicated periods in American History.
Who Where the People of the Harlem Renaissance?
When we refer to the ‘Who’s of the Harlem Renaissance, there are three groups we must consider. The first group is the millions of African Americans that participated in one of the main catalysts to the Harlem Renaissance – The Great Migration.
The other group refers to the notable figures of the Harlem Renaissance. These are the ‘legendary’ and the ‘not often mentioned’ talents, namely, James Weldon Johnson, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Jessie Redmond Fauset, Jean Toomer, Arna Bontemps, Rudolph Fisher, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Josephine Baker and many more.
The other ‘pivotal’ group often overlooked when discussing the Harlem Renaissance consists of the patrons, admirers, critics, and supporters like writer Carl Van Vechten, journalist H. L. Mencken and millionaire art collector Albert C. Barnes.
When did the Harlem Renaissance take place?
The answer to this question varies, and scholars continue to argue
this query. On December 24, 1905, the New York Herald ran an article entitled Negroes Move Into Harlem. In it they state that blacks were moving into the dwellings on 133rd and 134th streets between Lennox and Seventh Avenues for three years.
Paul P. Reuben, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at California State University, believes the time of the Harlem Renaissance was between 1918 and 1937. Angela Mack states on her website, Creativeconnectionarts.com, “the Harlem Renaissance, also known
as The Negro Movement, was the time period between 1918 and 1929." Scholar, writer and professor, David Levering Lewis says in his book, The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader, that 1917 is the natal year of the Harlem Renaissance. In general it is safe to say that the period started two to three years prior to 1920 and ended at some point in the 1930’s.
Why did the Harlem Renaissance happen?
In his book, The Harlem Renaissance, William H. Johnson says, "The main factors contributing to the development of the Harlem Renaissance were African-American urban migration, trends toward experimentation throughout the country and the rise of radical African-American intellectuals.”
Where did the Harlem Renaissance take place?
The Harlem Renaissance primarily occurred in the neighborhood of Harlem, which is located in New York City. However the rise in Negro consciousness and awareness was not limited to New York. African Americans all over the country felt moved and empowered to explore and express themselves artistically, intellectually, politically and through various written forms.
Comprehension Questions Grades 3 - 5?
1. When did the Great Migration take place?
2. What geographical region of America did African Americans leave during the
Great Migration?
3. Name the cultural period the author speaks about at the end of the reading?
4. Name a reason African Americans wanted to leave the South?
5. Name three cities African Americans settled in when they left the South?
Comprehension Questions Grades 6 - 8?
1. What things caused the Harlem Renaissance to occur? What were the effects?
2. Define the words exodus and natal using context clues?
3. What push and pull factors influenced The Great Migration?
called a blossoming of African American culture especially in the creative arts, a flowering of African American intellectual life, and
the efflorescence of African-American cultural production. Add to them all that the Harlem Renaissance was a veritable explosion of African American art, music, dance, poetry, literature, intellectualism and activism and you have a quite an accurate description of one of the most profound, exciting, engaging and complicated periods in American History.
Who Where the People of the Harlem Renaissance?
When we refer to the ‘Who’s of the Harlem Renaissance, there are three groups we must consider. The first group is the millions of African Americans that participated in one of the main catalysts to the Harlem Renaissance – The Great Migration.
The other group refers to the notable figures of the Harlem Renaissance. These are the ‘legendary’ and the ‘not often mentioned’ talents, namely, James Weldon Johnson, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Jessie Redmond Fauset, Jean Toomer, Arna Bontemps, Rudolph Fisher, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Josephine Baker and many more.
The other ‘pivotal’ group often overlooked when discussing the Harlem Renaissance consists of the patrons, admirers, critics, and supporters like writer Carl Van Vechten, journalist H. L. Mencken and millionaire art collector Albert C. Barnes.
When did the Harlem Renaissance take place?
The answer to this question varies, and scholars continue to argue
this query. On December 24, 1905, the New York Herald ran an article entitled Negroes Move Into Harlem. In it they state that blacks were moving into the dwellings on 133rd and 134th streets between Lennox and Seventh Avenues for three years.
Paul P. Reuben, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at California State University, believes the time of the Harlem Renaissance was between 1918 and 1937. Angela Mack states on her website, Creativeconnectionarts.com, “the Harlem Renaissance, also known
as The Negro Movement, was the time period between 1918 and 1929." Scholar, writer and professor, David Levering Lewis says in his book, The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader, that 1917 is the natal year of the Harlem Renaissance. In general it is safe to say that the period started two to three years prior to 1920 and ended at some point in the 1930’s.
Why did the Harlem Renaissance happen?
In his book, The Harlem Renaissance, William H. Johnson says, "The main factors contributing to the development of the Harlem Renaissance were African-American urban migration, trends toward experimentation throughout the country and the rise of radical African-American intellectuals.”
Where did the Harlem Renaissance take place?
The Harlem Renaissance primarily occurred in the neighborhood of Harlem, which is located in New York City. However the rise in Negro consciousness and awareness was not limited to New York. African Americans all over the country felt moved and empowered to explore and express themselves artistically, intellectually, politically and through various written forms.
Comprehension Questions Grades 3 - 5?
1. When did the Great Migration take place?
2. What geographical region of America did African Americans leave during the
Great Migration?
3. Name the cultural period the author speaks about at the end of the reading?
4. Name a reason African Americans wanted to leave the South?
5. Name three cities African Americans settled in when they left the South?
Comprehension Questions Grades 6 - 8?
1. What things caused the Harlem Renaissance to occur? What were the effects?
2. Define the words exodus and natal using context clues?
3. What push and pull factors influenced The Great Migration?