Analyzing the Harlem Renaissance: Culture, Society, and Legacy

This essay provides an overview of the Harlem Renaissance, also known as the New Negro Movement, which occurred between the 1920s and 1930s. It explores the movement's origins in response to the Great Migration and the need to redefine Black identity, challenging racial stereotypes and promoting cultural expression through literature, arts, and music. The essay highlights the movement's significance in American history, emphasizing its role in fostering racial pride and laying the groundwork for African American literature and global consciousness. It also discusses the historical context, including the period between World War One and the Great Depression, and the migration of African Americans to northern cities, particularly Harlem. The essay concludes by emphasizing the Harlem Renaissance's lasting impact on cultural awakening and the evolution of Black identity.

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Author Note

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The Harlem Renaissance can be defined as the period which witnessed an explosion of
social intellect and artistic fervor in Harlem, New York City. It was also referred to as the New
Negro Movement during the time being. The name was adopted from an anthology named The
New Negro, which was edited by Alain Locke (Baker, 2013). The thesis of this paper is to
discuss Harlem Renaissance, its importance, time and lasting effects it has left on the society and
the world.
There was a significant expression of African American culture in various urban areas in
the Midwest and Northwest part of the United States, resulting due to the Great Northward
Migration of the blacks. Harlem, thus was the largest manifestation of it. The attempt was to re-
conceptualize what was perceived as the Negro culture and unshackle it from the stereotypes
created by the Whites (Baker, 2013). The artists and participants who were associated with the
movement started embracing music, literature, visual arts, theatre and sought to present it while
in front of the world while preserving the heritage of black people and relationships shared
between one another (Wintz, 2013). Harlem Renaissance is also viewed as the movement which
sought to shatter the racist beliefs, bourgeois shame and Victorian morals, which were often
imposed on the African Americans.
The New Negro movement or the Harlem Renaissance paved way for the creation of a
new black identity which took place during between 1920s and 1930s (Baker, 2013). It is called
the Spiritual coming of age, by critic Alain Locke, after whose anthology, the movement was
named, The New Negro Movement. The movement sought to put an end to race price and White
supremacy across various aspects of the society which include literature and arts. The period
during which Harlem Renaissance took place is considered to be perfect as it just between World
War One and Great Depression which hit America (Wintz, 2013). There was plentiful of jobs

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and people from the south started moving to the north. It is estimated that over 75000 African
Americans migrated during the time and took part to change the racial intolerant environment
which was dominant in the country.
Harlem Renaissance is considered to be very important for the history of America and
African American people as the movement changed the discourse of ethnicity and race. The
racial identity and intolerance towards black people posed great challenged to the blacks and
how they were perceived mostly on the basis of the established stereotypes. Harlem Renaissance
is opened the scope of dialogue for the Blacks so that they could challenge the existing notions
of what it means to have a block identity in America (Baker, 2013). Harlem Renaissance could
ascertain pride for the blacks for their ethnicity and race, making it acceptable to the society,
which has had a lasting effect through cultural awakening. It is believed that Harlem Renaissance
has also laid the foundation for African American literature and their consciousness globally.

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References
Wintz, C. D. (Ed.). (2013). Remembering the Harlem Renaissance. Routledge.
Baker Jr, H. A. (2013). Modernism and the Harlem renaissance. University of Chicago Press.