Dancing through the Harlem Renaissance | Black History Moment of the Day

Black History encapsulates more than a month. This new daily series will take a look at some lesser known events and people in the world.

One of the most poignant entries into American history involves a rebirth of every part of the arts. Twentieth century musicians, artists, actors, and intellectuals moved throughout Harlem in New York City only to further their expertise. Taking place from 1917 to the 1935 during the Harlem Renaissance, icons such as Langston Hughes, Louie Armstrong, Madam C.J. Walker and many more established their particular arts as more than what they were initially thought to be.

Why Harlem? Racial tensions in the South were growing increasingly rough. Jim Crow laws were major elements as to why blacks moved to find a better life up north. However, prejudice was still a problem even when blacks left the south. Harlem wasn’t the only safe haven but it certainly was the largest.

This celebration of culture made Harlem a sort of Mecca for these starving artists. Du Bois’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored People circulating magazine, The Crisis, published many of the poems, visual art and stories from the period. The borough had a populous nightlife with music, dancing and food going on at all hours of the evening. Blues and, its subsequent genre, jazz, hit a stride in adoration in the music medium. Black-led plays set the stage for their later incarnations across the world. And poetry became dominant in the “negro art” heritage.

There’s a lot to cover for this topic. Read more on the extensive history of the Harlem Renaissance here.