The Harlem Renaissance was a movement of social and artistic advancement that defined an era for African-Americans, not only in the United States, but around the world. The movement also laid the foundations for an entirely different future for African-Americans living in the United States. However, this racial progress would not have been possible without the imaginative genius that grew from writers, poets, and playwrights within the African-American communities. Among these historic figures was the “O. Henry of Harlem” (New York Times, 1967), Langston Hughes, accomplished poet, novelist, playwright, essayist and an all-around artistic master. Hughes was a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance that overtook African-American communities
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This mission is apparent in one of his landmark works, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” where Hughes criticized the unconscious racial bias in both white people and black people as being more favorable towards white, a race and, summarily, a word that “comes to be unconsciously a symbol of all virtues” (31). Here, Hughes attempts to change the African-American mindset and its accustomed manner of associating white with virtuosity by championing African-American as well as African merits and heritage, especially Black beauty. Hughes calls for black readers to break free from their chains and embrace the qualities of being black, along with the distinctive experience of what is the “racial world” (Hughes, 36). This work, essential to understanding the message of Langston Hughes, promotes the idea of self-determination among artists in the African-American community (Scott, …show more content…
First and foremost, the works and movement itself that was the Harlem Renaissance completely transformed the way in which America and the entire world viewed African-Americans. With their new identity, a great social and racial consciousness came into play and African-Americans assumed a new social role that expanded previous roles in arts and politics. This being a result of the Harlem Renaissance movement being one that, as Steven Carl Tracy described “drew upon individual creativity, organized black support, and white patronage, cooperation, and in some cases, exploitation to achieve success” (12). One instance is evident where after co-writing the script for the screenplay Way Down South, Hughes failed to achieve more success in the screen writing industry, attributing this to racial discrimination in the movie trade. Following the Renaissance however, more and more African-American screenwriters and actors made their appearance on the big screen without being forced to play into traditional black stereotypes. At the same time, more opportunities began to arise for African-American writers to be published by mainstream and historically white-dominated publishing houses. This achievement stems from the literary accomplishments of Langston Hughes and his counterparts within the
This mission is apparent in one of his landmark works, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” where Hughes criticized the unconscious racial bias in both white people and black people as being more favorable towards white, a race and, summarily, a word that “comes to be unconsciously a symbol of all virtues” (31). Here, Hughes attempts to change the African-American mindset and its accustomed manner of associating white with virtuosity by championing African-American as well as African merits and heritage, especially Black beauty. Hughes calls for black readers to break free from their chains and embrace the qualities of being black, along with the distinctive experience of what is the “racial world” (Hughes, 36). This work, essential to understanding the message of Langston Hughes, promotes the idea of self-determination among artists in the African-American community (Scott, …show more content…
First and foremost, the works and movement itself that was the Harlem Renaissance completely transformed the way in which America and the entire world viewed African-Americans. With their new identity, a great social and racial consciousness came into play and African-Americans assumed a new social role that expanded previous roles in arts and politics. This being a result of the Harlem Renaissance movement being one that, as Steven Carl Tracy described “drew upon individual creativity, organized black support, and white patronage, cooperation, and in some cases, exploitation to achieve success” (12). One instance is evident where after co-writing the script for the screenplay Way Down South, Hughes failed to achieve more success in the screen writing industry, attributing this to racial discrimination in the movie trade. Following the Renaissance however, more and more African-American screenwriters and actors made their appearance on the big screen without being forced to play into traditional black stereotypes. At the same time, more opportunities began to arise for African-American writers to be published by mainstream and historically white-dominated publishing houses. This achievement stems from the literary accomplishments of Langston Hughes and his counterparts within the