Spanish Harlem

Great Minds Think Alike Harlem was ignited a movement before its time. Harlem was the location where greatness arose past the crust. The magnificent part about Harlem being this location where many would go to enjoy themselves was that these men and women were not Caucasian male and females, but majestic African-American men and women who would keep their audience dancing every night they would perform. Lorraine Hansberry was born during the Harlem Renaissance to Nannie Hansberry and Carl…

about this oppression, despite the violence that might have come their way. “Harlem” is one of these literary works were written in 1951 by Langston Hughes, an American poet, novelist, and social activist. Throughout his life, Hughes published numerous works, most of which portrayed the life of black people, and his work had a major influence on the artistic styles of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes’ main point in “Harlem” is that African Americans’ dreams are being deferred because of all the…

poem "When Sue Wears Red" was written while he was still in high school and is very well known to this day. It took a while before he wrote his first book of poetry but was quickly recognized. Langston Hughes was an influential role model during the Harlem renaissance a period of time in New York where artist, musicians and writers freely expressed their African American culture. His writings confronted African American stereotypes mainly of lower class and sought to unify African Americans…

In “Sonny’s Blues,” Harlem is clearly illustrated as a dank and unclean city that boasted little hope or incentive for ambition for those that resided there. The lack of opportunity led to high levels of poverty, and in turn influenced many in the area to resort to crime, alcoholism, and drugs for comfort. Throughout the 1920s, Harlem was a place of progression, art, and activism. Dubbed the “Harlem Renaissance,” this era in American history was significant for the black community as a whole.…

The Harlem Renaissance era gave many upcoming authors and poets the ability to express themselves. After World War I, The Great Migration of approximately half a million African Americans from the rural south to the bustling and promising north gave way to the formation and beginning of the Harlem Renaissance-New Negro era. Within the next ten years more than 750,000 African Americans would follow which increased the black northern population by a stunning amount. This was the start of black…

resurrection.” The often-crowned laureate of Harlem, Langston Hughes through his literary works faithfully recorded the authenticity and nuances of the African American experience. The opening line draws attention to Hughes internal struggle that had followed throughout his artistic career, as he was attempting to seek out whether art could be free of any involvement of political propaganda and to be left as pure poetry, during this cultural explosion termed as the Harlem Renaissance.…

Daurys Gomez, a future entrepreneur with a thriving clothing brand. Born in Orange, New Jersey Gomez is coming from a Dominican background. The way you go grow up may affect how you carry yourself through your life. Gomez states, “ Life was pretty easy compared to now to be honest. Growing up it was more like, in a kids perspective, it was really fun because I was around friends and although the area wasn't the best when it comes to safety, we made the best of it.” Safety was a problem growing…

construct bonds with each other. In the case of Sonny and his brother, the narrator, in James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s Blues”, their paths were parallel with one another until they grew up. Sonny left the slums of Harlem, aspiring to become a musician, while his brother settled in Harlem and became a teacher. Although the narrator and his brother ended up with completely different lives, the narrator being a family man with a teaching job and Sonny, an ex-convict playing jazz at a club,…

The Great Migration was a massive movement of African Americans from the South of the United States to the North with the largest amount coming in 1915 to 1920 of over 500,000 Blacks. African Americans left the miserable condition of the South that included low wages, racism, and horrible violence, and headed up to “The Promised Land” of the North where it was believed they could find refuge or even start over again. Black Protest and the Great Migration by Eric Arnesen is a history of documents…

Black Modernism and Situating Revelations The articles “Black Modernism” and “Situating Revelations” were written by Thomas DeFrantz. DeFrantz is currently a Professor of African and African American Studies, a Professor of Dance, and a Professor of Theater Studies at Duke University. He has done extensive research on dance studies and performance technology. In addition, DeFrantz was previously the president of the Society of Dance History Scholars, and he has been a part of Black Performance…