Harlem Renaissance as Contemporary Cultural Movement

History of Harlem Renaissance

When thinking about the word “cultural movement,” people often think about the long-gone past, like the Renaissance and Middle Ages, overlooking the modern examples. Moreover, unfortunately, the history taught in the West remains eurocentric, for the most part, ignoring non-White experiences. Therefore, contemporary cultural movements like Harlem Renaissance remain overlooked but as important in the history of humanity. According to Farebrother and Thaggert, it took its roots in the Harlem neighborhood in New York in the 1910s and lasted until the 1930s (38). It all started with African Americans settling in the area, overwise known as the Great Migration. The middle-class Black Bohemia primarily led it. Later, they were joined by the Black workers from the South. They were pushed out of work there because of natural disasters, consequent job shortages, and inherent discrimination against the Black people. These conditions provided the ground for great collaboration and growth in creative inspiration.

Transition in Black Culture

The general definition of cultural movement includes advancing a certain goal and the shared understanding of the world through culture. Even though the Harlem Renaissance is often ignored when it comes to a cultural movement, it fits the definition with its general goal, being the representation of the Black experience. The reason for it was not only the presence of highly educated Black Bohemia but because of concentration and exchange of ideas and shared experiences. Moreover, according to Orr, it is important to note that the foundations of the Harlem Renaissance became the grounds for the Civil Right movement because of this inherent humanitarian value. It also created the foundation for further developing the greater American culture.

Key Figures of Harlem Renaissance

Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement encompassing different spheres from art and literature to music and stage performance. This movement gave birth to many artists and prominence to the already existing ones. For example, the poet Countee Cullen was inspired by the movement as a teen, later joining it. On the other hand, Paul Robeson was already an established musician, singer, actor, and linguist at that time. The movement only pushed him to contribute more and express his ideas.

Works of Harlem Renaissance

Black Literature

The most straightforward way to express experience is to record it in literary words. Thus, literature and poetry were essential parts of the Harlem Renaissance. The most prominent creators include Claude McKay, Jean Toomer, Charles Spurgeon Johnson, Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen, and others. Langston Hughes, in particular, aimed his work to represent the wide variety of Black experiences. His themes were most prominently seen in his most popular poem Harlem. He was a central thinker and ideologist of the movement, as it focused on defining the Black voices and creativity most accurately and honestly. In the earlier years, he was heavily criticized for writing about the unglamorous downsides of the Black Experience

The main theme of the poem, Harlem, is the American dream and the reality of the Black people. It does not shy away from honestly admitting the inequality and is laced with the hope for a better life and access to the American dream, from which the Black Americans were far removed. The same motives and ideology later can be seen in the famous speech by the civil rights activist Martin Luther King. This connection shows how Hughes’ influences were part of the movement and, at the same time, stirred it into the direction of finally revealing the unfair treatment and racism. It also showed what the Black Americans dream of, what they need, and what the ideal society would look like, where everyone has the same opportunity.

This effect of the movement in revealing the truth about the Black experience was further supported by the publications reporting on it. According to Coleman, one such publication was FIRE!!!, involving the famous Black author, Zora Neale Hurston. It described the Harlem neighborhood and the lives of its residents. Even though some parts were glamorized, it helped to sustain the movement by providing attention to it and its creators. Moreover, according to Lamm, the paper finally credited Black creativity, battling the obscurity surrounding it. This obscurity was hiding the talent and the struggles of the Black people and the possible solutions to the inequality.

Black Music

It is impossible not to mention the Black music of the period, without which modern music arguably would exist. The names of the most prominent musicians are now well-known across the globe and include Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Fats Waller, Cab Calloway, and others. Louis Armstrong is arguably the most famous and influential among them, with his immense influence on jazz and modern music. He created popular tracks like “What a Wonderful World,” “Star Dust,” and “ La Vie En Rose.” Moreover, these tracks shared the same characteristics of the specific rhythmic momentum that influence the artists’ song production today. Armstrong was the one to show the whole world the power of Black creativity that Hurston described in her publications. He gathered the attention and was not afraid to speak up against inequality, putting his career on the line during the Civil Rights movement. In other words, his life and works are again the reflections of the Harlem movement’s goal to bring attention to the Black experience and creativity. Moreover, it also mirrors the Harlem movement’s historical link with the Civil Right movement, being its foundation.

Another important musician at that time is Paul Robeson. He was not only a musician but a linguist, an actor, and, most importantly, a thinker behind the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights movement. He sang in 25 languages to promote his ideas of peace and equality to spread them across the globe. His main ideology was the culmination of the views of the Harlem Renaissance, as he believed that seeing the achievements of the Black creators would empower the Black population. He thought his and his fellows’ art would inspire others to follow suit, gathering them to stand against the oppression. His outspoken nature and views on racism propelled him into being one of the most active civil rights activists who were heavily criticized and prosecuted at the time. Nonetheless, his work was the quintessential foundation for the movement, reflecting all its ideas and development patterns.

Black Visual Arts

The Harlem Renaissance’s art not only reflected the current realities of the Black experiences but also explored the greater Black history and heritage. According to Haidarali, visual arts was one of the most difficult spheres for the Black people to access, as they were simply discriminated against in the admission process to the art schools. Despite these struggles, some Black artists managed to succeed, popularizing African themes and motives in the visual arts. One of the most prominent artists, Aaron Douglas, was one of the first modern painters to adapt African techniques. He created numerous book illustrations, paintings, and murals. Sahdji, or Tribal Women, was his most popular work, being one of his first illustrations that drew inspiration from African history, heritage, art, and culture. It contains the elements of Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and Cubism, showing great skill and creativity. However, this work only symbolizes the beginning of his artistic expression and the formation of his ideas.

Let My People Go is arguably the culmination of Douglas’s ideas and skills. He uses the allegory, comparing the oppression of the Black people to the captivity of Israelites in Egypt in the Bible. In this work, the powerful words “Let My People Go” parallels the words said by Moses under God’s command. It symbolizes the struggles of African American people and also the inherent God-given human right of equality. It sheds light on the immorality and unnatural essence of oppression and racism. It also aligns with the main direction of the Harlem Renaissance, contributing from the point of Black history and reinterpreting religious awakening. Moreover, this work also promotes the core ideas and message of the Civil Rights movement.

Black Culture during the Harlem Renaissance

Overall Summary

The Harlem Renaissance, without a doubt, established the groundwork not only for the African American culture but for the American culture in general. Many art pieces influence American and international artists to this day. American culture would not be the same. The traces are left from the pop modern music to African motives in the paintings. The artists really tried to explore their Black heritage, while innovating and creating something new.

Immediate Response

Despite the initial critique from the White-dominated society, the Harlem Renaissance had both cultural and social impact, establishing and propelling the core values of the Civil Rights movement. Many artists and activists of the Harlem Renaissance later participated in the Civil Rights movement, preserving their ideas and opinions formed during the period. Furthermore, it is possible that the mix of the critical and positive responses prepared the activists for the resistance, while maintaining the hope for the change.

Long-Term Impacts of the Movement

It is hard to tell what the Civil Rights movement would have looked like if the Harlem Renaissance did not happen. The main reason for this difficulty is that the Harlem Renaissance gave birth not only to the thinkers of the movement. It also led to the shared realization and empowerment by inspiring the Black people to fight for their rights and the world to recognize the Black people’s struggles.

Works Cited

Coleman, Leon. Carl Van Vechten and the Harlem Renaissance: A Critical Assessment. Routledge, 2018.

Farebrother, Rachel, and Miriam Thaggert, eds. A History of the Harlem Renaissance. Cambridge University Press, 2021.

Haidarali, Laila. Brown beauty: Color, sex, and race from the Harlem Renaissance to World War II. NYU Press, 2018.

Lamm, Kimberly. “Sartorial Self-Fashioning in the Harlem Renaissance.” African American Literature in Transition, 1920–1930, vol. 9, 2022, p. 73.

Orr, Tamra B. The Harlem Renaissance: An African American Cultural Movement. Greenhaven Publishing LLC, 2018.