UTA September 2010 Harlem Renaissance
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Introduction
"New Negro" movement
As the African American culture expanded their horizon, and viewed passed the obstacles and barriers that were set by other ethnic groups, many families migrated to the northern cities, including New York City. Harlem was a magical, transforming place then, and that was especially true for the forsaken civilians who went to New York in search of a greater opportunity. Many believe, the Harlem Renaissance truly began, when W.E.B. Dubois, editor of "The Crisis magazine" published "The Souls of Black Folks". He stated that "One ever feels two-ness-and American, a Negro, two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled stirrings: two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn as under". There was an immediate reaction, it was clear that literature was definitely one art form that could bring the black culture together.
Even though slavery had been abolished 75 years earlier, were still able to relate to racism. For the first time, African Americans felt open minded, and in which their creativity strongly impacted every field of art and entertainment. They viewed poetry and writing as a form of expression, as a form of freedom and escape during the troubled life that many lived. As more and more people moved into Harlem, the job opportunities became larger. People felt confident and took greater risks. They often wrote about alienation and their own life stories, which were directed mostly to African American people and the third world of Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Very few became successful and flourish in every literary area. "The decade just past was the oleomargarine era of Negro writing," Hurston said (editor of "Opportunity" magazine). "Oleomargarine is the fictionalized form of butter. And so the writings that made out they were holding a looking-glass to the Negro had everything in them except Negroness." People looked passed the skin color and, honor them rightfully with awards, prizes and fellowships. This was a goal achieved by many, which only helped the NAACP "National Association for the Advancement of Colored People" movement and slowly built self-confidence.
The growing popularity in Harlem had been used as a unique opportunity to create a positive public image of blacks in the American society. In their popular essays, novels, plays, and newspaper articles, this well-known group set out to change stereotypes of the black culture. All in all the poetic movement became joy and hope to some, and perhaps to others it was an inspiration and a guide for the future generation to come. On the day of March 1924, the Harlem Renaissance was publicly recognized, where members of the NAACP such as Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Dubois, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen became the dominating voices in American Literature of this century. It is up to us to learn from our mistakes from the past and give the next generation a better future.
Visions and Voices
Countee Cullen (Porter) was considered by many to be the most talented of the Harlem Renaissance poets. Cullen was a novelist and a playwright, but he was known by most as a poet. He was born on March 30, 1903 in New York. Not much is known of the early years of his childhood up until 1918.Between the time of Cullen’s birth 1918 he was adopted by Rev. Frederick and Carolyn Bell (Mitchell) Cullen of the Salem Methodist Episcopal Church in Harlem. It is unknown how old Cullen was when he got adopted by 1921, he changed his last name to Cullen, from his adopted mothers last name.Rev. Cullen regained Countee Cullen’s faith back in himself by getting him to understand that any goal or dream that he had to fulfill it. He attended De Witt Clinton High School between (1918-1921).
During this time he was editor of his schools newspaper and of the magazine Magpie, and during High School he wrote his first poetry that received notice. He also attended New York University for four years.Countee received much help both mentally and physically from his adopted father, it is said that if Countee would not have been adopted by the Reverend he would not have gone as far as he eventually did.Countee Cullen was considered one of the most talented of the Harlem Renaissance poets. A lot of his poetry was written during his high school and college years. During high school Cullen won his first contest,a citywide competition, with the poem “I Have a Rendezvous with Life,”a non-racial poem. Cullen was also the editor of his high school paper and a literary magazine Magpie. He furthered his wisdom and education at New York university, where he joined an all white fraternity called Phi Beta Kappa Honors. Cullen was awarded the Wittier Bynner Poetry Prize for his expressive culture oriented poetry. During his college career he created the book Color for which he won the Harmon Foundations first gold medal for literature.His poems had a direct relationship to the Harlem Renaissance, his poems either included ideological aspects and culture aspects.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Politics
http://www.jcu.edu/harlem/Religion/page_1.htm
http://citizendia.org/Harlem
Music
Monday, October 4, 2010
Religion
In Harlem, service and leadership manifested themselves in wide-ranging ways and the church was no exception. Though the titles of these two men are the same, what they used this title to show and achieve fall along different lines. For Rev. Cullen, leadership in black America was about responsibility: living in such a manner that would address the issues of the Negro people while challenging up and coming black leaders to attain to his measure of success, which he believed was the product of his ability to perform a particular notion of black masculinity.
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3042536
http://www.jcu.edu/harlem/Religion/page_1.htm
http://www.bookrags.com/tandf/religion-4-tf/
Education
Booker T. Washington's had a philosophy about education for African Americans that primarily promoted industrial education. He was a firm believer that African Americans should be trained as farmers, mechanics or servants, who would provide essential services and produce for the white community. Washington also emphasized that African Americans would only succeed if they established an economic foundation through land ownership, industry and agriculture. He also advised African Americans to keep their homesteads in rural areas and not leave the south.
Many African Americans opposed Washington's philosophy and leadership of education.
W.E.B. DuBois was an African American teacher and scholar. He led the opposition to Washington's views. DuBois advocated the educational idea of African Americans, labeling it "The Talented Tenth." The Talented Tenth was a small number of well educated African American professionals committed to improving race relations. There were only about 10,000 members of The Talented Tenth, compared to the 10,000,000 population in the 1920's. These members included doctors, lawyers, dentists, ministers, educators and business men & women. The Talented Tenths efforts are what really jump started the New Negro Movement. They encouraged organizations such a the American Negro Academy and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). These organizations worked to reorganize the advancements of African Americans in science, literature and art.
There was also a black philosopher name Alaine Locke. He was often deemed the "father" of the Harlem Renaissance. The New Negro: An Interpretation was written by Alaine Locke in 1926. It was an anthology containing works by writers at the time. After reading this book, white critics started taking African American writing seriously and white publishers sought out black literature.
The Harlem Renaissance was an amzing period in history for the spark of education in the African American community. It encouraged educational growth and prosperity.
Works Cited:
"Harlem Renaissance." Vintage Periods. N.p. N.p. Web. 1 September 2010.
"Harlem Renaissance/The New Negro Movement and Education." John Carroll University. N.p. N.p. Web. 15 September 2010.