[Music] hello and welcome back in this black Excellence presentation we want to celebrate the Harlem Renaissance the Revival of black American culture and arts welcome to Black excellence.com the site where we share black Excellence opulence and affluence our mission is to inspire you as we Enlighten you the Harlem Renaissance was the development of the Harlem neighborhood in New York City as a black cultural Mecca in the early 20th century and the subsequent social and artistic explosion that resulted lasting roughly from the 1910s through the mid 1930s the period is considered a golden age in African-American culture manifesting in literature music stage performance and art this is the kickoff of our Renaissance Series where we will be highlighting the various contributors and artists of this fascinating era but before we present their bios and their stories we first would like to give context to this period in this original black excellus video we will be featuring the Harlem Renaissance the black intellectual and artistic Revival so without further Ado let's get started number one Southern black Americans look to the north for a better standard of living with the end of the Civil War in 1865 hundreds of thousands of African-Americans newly freed from the Yoke of slavery in the South began to dream of FL rer participation in American society including political empowerment equal Economic Opportunity and economic and cultural self-determination unfortunately by the late 1870s that dream was largely dead as white supremacy was quickly restored to the Reconstruction South White lawmakers on State and local levels passed strict racial segregation laws known as Jim Crow laws that made African-Americans second class citizens and hate groups like the clu Klux Clan perpetuated lynchings and conducted campaigns of Terror and intimidation to keep African-Americans with booming economies across the North and Midwest offering industrial jobs for workers of every race many African-Americans realized their hopes for a better standard of living and a more racially tolerant environment lay outside the South number two The Great Migration resulted in over 300,000 black Americans relocating from 1910 to 1920 The Great Migration was was underway in addition to the suppression of Jim Crow there were natural disasters in the South that put black workers and sharecroppers out of work additionally during and after World War I recruiters headed south to entice black workers to their companies in the northern Urban centers African-Americans from the South had moved North and Harlem was one of the most popular destinations for these families by 1920 some 300,000 African-Americans relocated to cities like Chicago Los Angeles Detroit Philadelphia and New York number three Harlem attracted some of the greatest minds and talents of the time the Harlem Section of Manhattan which covers just 3 square miles Drew nearly 175,000 African-Americans alone giving the neighborhood the largest concentration of black people in the world Harlem became a destination for african- Americans of all backgrounds from unskilled laborers to an educated middle class they shared experiences of slavery emancipation and racial oppression as well as a determination to forge a new identity as Free People some of the greatest minds and brightest talents of the day were drawn to Harlem where an astonishing array of African-American artists and Scholars collectively and individually made a mark on Black Culture their contributions and collaborations led to a blossoming of African-American culture particularly in the creative arts and the most influential movement in African-American literacy history number four Harlem became a catalyst for artistic experimentation and intellect as mentioned earlier the intellectual Revival of the African-American art and literature was not confined to the Harlem District of New York City however Harlem attracted a remarkable concentration of intellect and talent that served as the symbolic capital of this cultural Awakening Harlem was a catalyst for artistic experimentation and a highly popular night life destination its location in the communications capital of North America helped give the new Negroes visibility and opportunities for publication not evident elsewhere located just north of Central Park Harlem was a formerly white residential district that by the early 1920s was becoming virtually a black City within the burrow of Manhattan other Burrows of New York City were also home to people now identified with the Renaissance but they often cross paths in Harlem or congregated there for special events performances or meetings New York City had an extraordinarily diverse black social World in which no one group could monopolize cultural Authority as a result it was a particularly fertile place for cultural experimentation number five alen lock coined the term negro Renaissance to help break stereotypes embracing literacy musical theatrical and visual arts black intellects and eager participants sought to reconceptualize the Negro apart from the white stereotypes that had influenced black people's relationship to their Heritage and to each other in the prior era Alan lock a Harvard educated writer critic and professor at Howard University would become the father of the Harlem Renaissance As He coined the phrase the new negro in his 1925 Anthology the new negro an interpretation the collection of literary work planted some of the bravest black writers of the the 1920s squarely in the public eye he effectively became the dean leader and interpreter of the movement and in effect launched the Negro Renaissance which would be retitled the Harlem Renaissance L described the period as a spiritual coming of age in which African-Americans transform social disillusionment to race Pride as a professor of philosophy his theory of cultural pluralism emphasized the necessity of different styles beliefs and culture in a harmonious Democratic Society number six the Harlem Renaissance was shaped by intellects performers writers and Poets the Harlem Renaissance encompassed poetry and Pros painting and sculpture Jazz and swing Opera and dance what United these diverse art forms was their realistic presentation of what it meant to be black in America what writer Langston Hughes called an expression of our individual dark skinned selves as well as a new militancy in asserting their civil and political rights among the renaissance's most significant contributors were thought-provoking intellectuals WB Deo Marcus Garvey Cyro Briggs and Walter Francis white electrifying performers Josephine Baker and Paul Robson writers and Poets Zora Neil huren Fey Lee Nome County colon visual artists Aaron Douglas and Augustus Savage and an extraordinary list of legendary musician itions including Louis Armstrong count basy cab Callaway Duke Ellington Billy Holiday jelly Ro Morton and countless others number seven The Cotton Club embodied the contradictions of the Harlem Renaissance at the height of the movement Harlem was the epicenter of American culture the neighborhood bustled with African-American owned and run publishing houses and newspapers music companies playhouses nightclubs and Cabaret the literature music fashion they created defined culture and cool for blacks and white alike in America and around the world the Harlem Cabaret is perhaps the most fabled intersection of the Jazz Age in the Harlem Renaissance and no Cabaret was more fabled than the Cotton Club often called the Aristocrat of Harlem African-American musicians and other performers play to mix audiences but the Cotton Club was a whites only nightclub that appealed to wealthy white New Yorkers seeking out Harlem nightlife in a downtown venue serving illegal alcohol before prohibition Harlem's famous Cotton Club carried the contradiction to an extreme by providing Black Entertainment for exclusively white audiences and what has become one of the most iconic symbols of the Harlem Renaissance the new 700 seat Supper Club served as the spring board to fame for Duke Ellington cap Callaway and many others but many took offense with the fact that so many of the powerful Pro black artists that would help Define the new negro and Rise of Black Consciousness would regularly and proudly perform for an exclusively white crowd in a racist club that sits in the middle of Harlem number eight the Harlem Renaissance laid the seeds for the Civil Rights Movement the Harlem Renaissance was the first pro black movement that was not criticized or shamed universally by whites it was the coming of age of African-Americans Heritage after slavery that helped redefin how many white Americans started to see Black America it also outlined The Bravery of blacks the Conquering of Oppression and the presence of individuality during the 1920s thereby transforming Black Culture as a whole into something that is worthy of recognition and Racial equality along with the Great Migration and the Civil Rights Movement the Harlem Renaissance is part of the three significant turning points for African-American Heritage culture and value this undercurrent as well as the outspoken leaders of the Harlem Renaissance like web Deo and Marcus Garvey help pave the way for the civil rights movement of the 1960s Harlem Renaissance instilled in African-Americans across the country a new spirit of self-determination and pride a new social Consciousness and a new commitment to political activism all of which would provide a foundation for the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s number nine the depression and Riots of 1935 brought the Harlem Renaissance to an end unfortunately the end of Harlem's creative boom began with the stock market crash of 1929 the early 1930s saw the Great Depression which brought the country to its knees depleting many of the funds that had provided financial support to individual African-American writers institutions and Publications it wavered until prohibition ended in 1933 which meant white patrons no longer sought out the illegal alcohol in uptown clubs or organizations such as the NAACP and the Urban League which had actively promoted the Renaissance shifted their interest to economic and social issues by the mid-30s many pivotal Harlem residents had moved on to seek work they were replaced by The Continuous Flow of refugees from the south many requiring Public Assistance the growing economic hardship of the depression and mounting tension between the black community and white shop owners came to a head when a young shoplifter was arrested this set off a power keg and sparked the Harlem Riot of 1935 where most of the damage was focused on property rather than persons during the violence and upheaval three people were left dead and hundreds were injured and hospitalized Harlem suffered millions of dollars in property damage as the worst of the destruction was inflicted on African-American businesses in homes this Final Act shattered the notion of Harlem as the mecca of the new negro the riot was a death nail for the Harlem Renaissance number 10 lasting impact there's no denying that the Harlem renaissance's impact on America was indelible the movement brought notice to the great works of African-American art while inspiring and influencing future generations of African-American artists and intellectuals the self- poetr of African-American life identity and culture that emerged from Harlem was transmitted to the World At Large challenging the races and disparity ing stereotypes of the Jim Crow South in doing so it radically redefined how people of other races viewed African-Americans and understood the African-American experience this validated the beliefs of its Founders and leaders like Alan lock and Langston Hughes that art could be a vehicle to not only promote the positive image of African-Americans but also serve as an impetus to improve our lives as a whole the Harlem Renaissance was a shining Beacon of Hope for Black America and put on demonstration to some degree how blacks can thrive in a joyful and peaceful experience if given the opportunity we appreciate the fact that you stayed with us until the end thank you for spending time with us and don't forget to like this video also make sure you subscribe so that you never miss a video bye for now we will see you tomorrow [Music]