Harlem Globetrotters

As a result of the multitudes of eye-opening written works describing the African American plight, modern day society has become more progressive and determined to fight for racial equality. By recounting the persecution of African Americans, the poem “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar and Maya Angelou’s autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” contribute to the quest for equal rights. Moreover, these pieces of literature share a central idea as they both focus on the African American…

Harlem, New York City, is known for the renaissance movement of art and music that emerged during the early 20th century. The “New Negro Movement” embraced African American culture and pride in opposition to the institutionalized and popular racism that followed many black people from the south. Extremely high rents kept tenants in Harlem poor and in this atmosphere, the cycle of oppression and violence was nearly impossible to escape. In the novel The Street, author Ann Petry illuminates the…

Pache Vang INDIVIDUAL ORAL PRESENTATION For my Individual Oral Presentation, I will be exploring Harlem Sweeties, by Langston Hughes, and explain the writing techniques used in Harlem Sweeties, as well as his embrace of the bi-racial realities in Harlem, more specifically, black women of different shades. Then connect it to his view of his own race, which is shown in his poem, My People. I will then, compare the poem, My People, to Zora Neale Hurston’s essay, How It Feels To Be A Colored Me,…

Zora Neale Hurston is regarded as one of the most astute modernist writers of the 20th century. During the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston’s writings transcended her peers while on a quest to be known as just a writer, without emphasis on race or gender. Making a conscious decision to not engage on such topics, Hurston receive criticism from her peers insinuating that she was not doing enough to help her generation. Due to this criticism and pressure, Hurston responds with a somewhat…

The Chicano Civil Rights Movement was a movement that took off in the 1960’s which was also when the civil rights movement was in full motion through out the united states. With increased political activity from African American groups to produce much needed change as well as the implantation of the civil rights act of 1964 its easy to see why the Chicano Movement flourished. The 1960’s was a time of political activism which helped move forward the goals of not only African Americans and Mexican…

The Harlem Renaissance was a time of empowerment and cultural growth for African Americans and this is reflected in the literature form that era. In the empowering poem, “Hey Black Child” by Useni Perkins the speaker explores the idea of self-empowerment in order to promote the idea of cultural advancement. Perkins uses repetition to convey the message that if young black children remain hopeful and remember that they matter and they can acquire achievement through dedication and education they…

Influence of Harlem Renaissance on Langston Hughes Harlem Renaissance, in other words, the cultural awakening of African American culture, remains as the most influential movements in African American literacy history. The movement took place between the 1920s and the 1940s, when there was a rapid growth in support for modernism and the civil rights movement. Therefore, the modernism movement, that encouraged people to break the norms and the civil rights movement, which tried to bring equality…

The harlem renaissance was a period of African American artistic accomplishment. During World War I large numbers of African Americans began leaving the south to take jobs in northern factories. They migrated from farmlands in the south to the north or the midwest in search of better opportunities such as education, better lifestyle, better socioeconomic status, and to build an ameliorate lives from themselves. Many A.A decided to travel to NYC, in Harlem. Harlem was the foundation of the…

Past and Present Racial Issues Whether it is a drama, poem, or short story, all literature that is written has a main idea, or theme. Sometimes, literature will have a common theme. Two poems with a similar theme about race are “La Migra” by Pat Mora and “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall. A short story that focuses on the same theme is the short story “Big Black Good Man” by Richard Wright. These different poems and short stories share a similar theme of race which is a current theme that…

black separatism The Harlem Renaissance flourished in the 1920’s with many black people fleeing the racial oppression of the south and creating a very vibrant culture of poetry, writing, dance, and music in New York and other northern urban areas. “This is a period when the majority of black people in the United States are born as free people- the first generation when they’re not largely born as slaves.” One prominent figure of this time was Marcus Garvey and he chose Harlem as a place to…