Harlem and the Renaissance: 1920–1940
Harlem and the Renaissance: 1920–1940
This chapter traces the beginnings of the Harlem Renaissance. It is also known by other names such as the New Negro movement or the Jazz Age. It is traditionally seen as a literary movement arising from Harlem, a male-dominated event, composed of second-tier talent. There has only been a little analysis and discussion about this era, and even less involving the work of women in music, theater, and art. As a literary movement, the Renaissance started on March 21, 1924 not in Harlem but with the Civic Club Dinner about a hundred blocks away. As a musical and entertainment movement, the Harlem Renaissance had started some three years earlier when “Shuffle Along” opened at the Sixty-Third Street Musical Hall. The visual arts movement may be said to have arrived at the scene much later when the work of Aaron Douglas appeared in Opportunity. His work was not considered as significant in the role of the emerging Renaissance compared to other exhibits showing African American art in Harlem. The Harlem Renaissance has also been linked to the social and demographic changes of the second and third decades of the twentieth century which had a great impact on African Americans. The 1940s may be considered as its end.
Keywords: New Negro movement, Jazz Age, Civic Club Dinner, Shuffle Along, Aaron Douglas
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