2. The Birthplace
 Harlem, a district within
New York City was the
most popular city, African
Americans migrated too
after the civil war and
during the economic
hardships following the
U.S’s involvement in WW1.
 Harlem originally housed
upper-class middle class
whites. Civil rights leader
James Weldon Johnson
claimed Harlem was the
“Negro capital of the
world”.

3. The Concept
 African Americans or “Blacks” would showcase their
talents, intellect and progress in the arts and politics in
order to obtain more civil rights.
 Civil right activist James Weldon Johnson proposed that
in order to establish new vernacular forms and a new
voice of political expression, the stereotypes had to be
broken and separated from the Black race.
 The vernacular of sermons and slave songs weren’t the
only forms of expression in literature. New forms of
diction, dialect and expression were made in many new
art forms including poetry, song, theatre, literature and
music.

4. The Concept
 In combining many cultures of African decent
including “Blacks” of the West Indies, Africa and the
Caribbean there was a reconnection with African
roots/heritage.
 As a result, new vernacular and forms of pure
“Black” expression were made. (The goal was to
exempt white influence or traces of it’s references)

5. Worldwide
 Not only was this newfound racial movement of the
arts occurring in Harlem or even the U.S but also in
other parts of the world such as the “West Indies”.
 This movement was referred to as “Negritude”.
 Activist Johnson among other scholars utilized the
influence and success of other racial movements
such as the Irish movement in Britain to fuse the
nationalist pride of the Black American population.

6. James Weldon Johnson
 Activist
 Intellectual
 Challenged Black artists
and writers to change the
forms of expression to be
“African American”
 Recognized colorism within
racism.

7. Theatre
 Ridgley Torrance wrote Three
Plays for a Negro
Theatre, Torrance challenged
the minstrel shows of American
Vaudeville that was
simultaneously showcasing up
until the 1930s.
 James Weldon Johnson to
be, “The most important single
event in the entire history of the
Negro in the American theater.

8. Theatre
 Racial awareness and
separation between reality
and the stereotype was
Torrance’s goal and
message throughout his
plays.
 Mulatto was a play written
by Langston Hughes and
performed in 1935.

9. Music
 Luis Armstrong
 Duke Ellington
 Billie Holiday
 Ella Fitzgerald

10. The Cotton Club
 Opened in the 1920s on 142nd Street and Lenox
Street.
 Originally segregated however, Duke Ellington, Billie
Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald made their appearances.
 On the most renowned Jazz Clubs

11. Duke Ellington
 Edward Kennedy Ellington
 Arguably the most influential black
musician and bandleader in 20th
century
 Appeared in movies
 Music praised by both black and white
music critics
 Consider the first to successfully
exploit the 3 minute music format for
78 rpm discs.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDQ
pZT3GhDg

12. Achievements
 The Harlem Renaissance left an imprint on the Black
culture and the foreshadow before the civil rights
movement of 1940-1950.
 In addition many organizations and corporations for
supporting the Black arts and politics were created
and still remain such as the National Association for
the advancement of colored people (NAACP)

13. Key Players