Harlem Renaissance Lecture Notes

Overview

• The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual, social, and artistic explosion centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City.
• It is a significant period in Black American History post-slavery.
• Key figures include Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, Anne Spencer, Nella Larsen, and Arturo Alfonso Schomburg.

Context and Background

• Great Migration:

  • Before 1910, more than 90% of African-Americans lived in the American South.
  • Due to poor conditions and segregation, around six million African Americans moved to the North, Midwest, and West (1916-1970).
  • First Great Migration (1916-1940) is the focus.
  • Migration led to new opportunities but also new racial issues in the North.

• "The New Negro" Movement:

  • 1925 anthology edited by Alain Locke.
  • Launched a literary movement focused on new urban Black identities post-Great Migration.

Key Figures and Contributions

Langston Hughes

• Born February 1, 1901, in Joplin, Missouri.
• Influenced by Black Oral Traditions from his grandmother.
• Focused on working-class Black people.
• Known for "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," which emphasizes racial consciousness and cultural nationalism.
• Influenced the Négritude movement in France.

Zora Neale Hurston

• Born January 7, 1891, in Alabama.
• Attended Barnard College and Columbia University.
• Focused on African-American and Caribbean folklore.
• Famous for "Their Eyes Were Watching God."
• Criticized for using African-American dialect, but modern scholars highlight its significance.

Claude McKay

• From Jamaica, influenced writers like James Baldwin and Richard Wright.
• Famous for "If We Must Die" during the Red Summer of 1919.
• Prominent figure in Black Socialist societies.
• Wrote "Home to Harlem," a bestseller and controversial novel.

Anne Spencer

• Important intellectual in the Harlem Renaissance.
• Published over 30 poems; work challenges stereotypes about Black women and their bodies.

Nella Larsen

• Born in Chicago to a mixed-race family.
• Known for novels "Quicksand" and "Passing."
• Explored themes of racial identity and assimilation.

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg

• Afro-Latino historian and activist.
• Collected significant artifacts of Black history.
• His collection is part of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.

Conclusion

• The Harlem Renaissance was not just a cohesive movement but a collection of overlapping social and intellectual circles.
• Provides a rich history that extends beyond Black History Month.
• Encourages further personal research into the influential figures and dynamics of the era.