Harlem Renaissance carries a rich history worthy of celebrating still

The 1920s, more commonly known as the “Roaring Twenties” is often credited as a time of economic expansion and luxury, but another aspect that deserves the spotlight is the Harlem Renaissance that graced this period

The Harlem Renaissance was a time of art, literature, music and culture for black Americans where the nation gave serious attention for the first time. The traditional perspective strictly viewed the Harlem Renaissance as simply a time for literature produced by black Americans, but progressively over time, historians came to acknowledge it as a period for art, the many forms of it and what it represented.

“The Harlem Renaissance is increasingly viewed through a broader lens that recognizes it as a national movement with connections to international developments in art and culture that places increasing emphasis on the non-literary aspects of the movement,” Cary Wints from texashumanities.org said.

Throughout the ‘20s, Harlem saw a growing black population, bringing in people from all sorts of backgrounds and classes, from the impoverished unemployed and farmers to businessmen and entrepreneurs. With so many black Americans from all different backgrounds living among one another, Harlem became a powerhouse for the creative arts.

The Harlem Renaissance is not viewed as an ideology or a concept, however, but rather an identity. There was never a specific set of guidelines one’s piece or work had to meet during the time in order for it to be considered a Harlem Renaissance piece.

During this time period, the main drive for producing most of the art was encouraging black artists to follow their own vision. Because of this motivation and drive, it led to incredible diversity within the art community. All works of literature and art carried their own sense of individuality and uniqueness. However, all pieces retained one of three themes. Artists either centered their work based on race, African culture preservation and or lifestyle within Harlem.  

While the Harlem Renaissance has come and gone, celebration of this time period still occurs for many reasons. The Harlem Renaissance was both an artistic and political movement that pushed America forward for a more tolerant mindset. During this time, it is considered to be the first time in American history that art and literature produced by black Americans was taken seriously. The work produced during this time often received national attention and finally gave black Americans the spotlight during a time of prejudice and inequality. Because of this movement, many strides for equality have been made, and for that we continue to celebrate almost 100 years later.