The Harlem Renaissance was a movement where African Americans were starting to embrace themselves; it was during the 1920s-mid 1930s. The movement consisted of 3 main subjects: Art, Literature, and Music.
The Great Migration was essential to the Harlem Renaissance because it involved half of the population of African Americans in the United States to move to the North. They moved to the North because they dealt with discrimination in the south; although they moved to the “safer” part of America, they still faced challenges in the north. They were still not fully accepted, and it would take years for African Americans to stop facing these problems. Many African Americans had to unite and settle in a part where there were fellow African-Americas- the neighborhood Harlem in Manhattan, New York.
Obviously, the African Americans brought themselves and their belongings, but they also brought Art, Literature, and Music which would later impact the United States forever. Art in the Harlem Renaissance was a mixture of an African style and European style; there was also sculpting, photography, and performing arts. You might be asking can’t anyone do things that involve art? Well yes, anyone can do art, but portraying African Americans was almost impossible for white people to do in any form of art. It was difficult because they would often focus on the stereotypes; they would often exaggerate their noses, lips, and cheek bones. During The Harlem Renaissance, a photographer, James VanDerZee, would take portraits of African Americans that would show them in a more positive view than what the media was used to. VanDerZee would portray these people at their best; they would be dressed up and at extravagant formal events. This was rare because the media had the mindset of discriminating African Americans due to previous stereotypes.
Literature was another key component of The Harlem Renaissance because it was used as a form to speak out about the discrimination African Americans have faced. A poem that demonstrates this is Oriflamme by Jessie Redmon where she writes about the mothers that were forced to have children so that slave owners could profit off the babies. Redmon goes on to write that the mothers and children are under the same stars and can see the same stars which demonstrates the hope for both of them to find each other in the future.
Music was used to boycott the racism and crimes against African Americans in the 1920s. Jazz and blues were created during The Harlem Renaissance to sing away the sorrows that these people had. A poem written by Abel Meeropol, but later turned into a song and was sang by Billie Holiday, talks about the excessive amount of lynching that was happening in the 1920s. In the song, Holiday compares the dead bodies of the lynched people to fruit to signify that there are many people who are lynched, since a lot of fruits will sprout from trees.
The Harlem Renaissance affected the United States current society by uniting a group of people, expressing oneself through art, shedding light to past conflict, and boycotting discrimination and racism. Many people involved in The Harlem Renaissance should be remembered for their bravery in standing out in such a closed and segregated society.
About the Contributor
Mayra Padilla, Staff Writer
Mayra I. Padilla is a Staff writer and Cartoonist from the Steeler Chronicle. She is a Junior and has 1 AP class along with 7 other clubs: Psychology Club, Undocumented Allies Club, Fashion Club, CSF, GEMS, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Link Crew. She spends her free time drawing, playing survival horror games, learning more about her favorite franchises, and watching shows with her brother!