Harlem Renaissance

Harlem Renaissance
By: Dennis Granger

During the era in which Invisible Man takes place, a unique change is occurring in the contributions of African-American artists and authors to the world. Centered in Manhattan, NY, this Harlem Renaissance--as it is referred to--was an outpouring of Negro talent unlike any ever seen previously. Originally termed "The New Negro Movement," the Harlem Renaissance was not a revolt against racism. Instead, it was more a period of embracing African-American culture and heritage.

Writers

Literature became a very important part of the Renaissance. Contributions include those of poems by Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Angelina W. Grimke, Jessie Redmon Fauset, and James Weldon Johnson; short stories by Nella Larsen and Zora Neale Hurston; and works by Marion Vera Cuthbert, Jean Toomer, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett.

Painters

Painting is another field that received a great number of additions by black artists in the Harlem Renaissance. Artists include Palmer Hayden, William H. Johnson, among others.

Links

These are some useful links on the Harlem Renaissance.

Harlem Renaissance: New York in the Twenties--provided good background information on the Renaissance.

Netnoir--The Black History Month spotlight on the Renaissance.

The Harlem Renaissance.--The Encarta Encyclopedia's information on the Renaissance.