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Activities: Context Activities The New Negro and the Reconstruction of African American Identity  Back to Context Activities
The term "New Negro" came into use at the end of the nineteenth century, as a way of summarizing the various efforts of black Americans to put the culture of slavery behind them. By the 1920s, however, the term signified racial pride, economic independence, the struggle for social equality, and courageous expression in literature and the arts. When Alain Locke published his landmark anthology The New Negro, the term gained strong connections with the Harlem Renaissance. Small literary magazines abounded in Harlem during this period, and Locke's anthology had its origins in the March 1925 issue of Survey Graphic, a journal devoted to publishing young writers. The issue on Harlem was conceived by Survey editor Paul Kellogg, at a Civic Club dinner in November 1924, hosted by Charles S. Johnson, editor of Opportunity, a journal affiliated with the NAACP. Locke's collection of essays, poetry, and fiction quickly became landmark in the movement. Illustrated by Aaron Douglas, the book also included a bibliography of important artists, thinkers, and events of the Harlem Renaissance. Leaders of the Harlem Renaissance believed that art should portray African Americans in a positive light, emphasizing literacy, artistic sophistication, and other qualities that could win respect among the dominant American majority. African American photographers, working in Harlem and across America, played an important role in conveying that ideal. The photographs of James Van Der Zee emphasize values and concepts central to the New Negro and the aspirations of the race. With images of black war veterans, dignified parades, and "Striver's Row," he portrayed the pride, accomplishment, and patriotism associated with the New Negro. Small circulation magazines, like Survey, Opportunity, Fire, and Crisis, helped to fuel the movement by providing forums for new poetry, fiction, and art. The annual prizes offered by Opportunity helped young writers like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston gain acceptance in New York literary circles. In turn, the editors of these magazines gained influence as discoverers of talent-and some of their choices sparked controversy, especially narratives and poems that portrayed African Americans talking in dialect, drinking in bars, or straying from the New Negro role model. There were also controversies when these publications engaged directly with racism, lynchings, miscegenation, and other unresolved dilemmas in black and white American life. The courage of these writers and their editors in representing life honestly and with dignity in works like "The Weary Blues" or Cane reflects the spirit of the New Negro and the Harlem Renaissance. Questions
[3012] Austin Hansen, Count Basie and the Nicholas Brothers (c. 1940s), courtesy of Joyce Hansen and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library. Count Basie (pictured with Fayard and Harold Nicholas, internationally renowned tap dancers) was a leading figure in twentieth-century music, helping to define the style and nature of jazz and swing. Amiri Baraka and Michael Harper show jazz influences in their poetry. [3939] Underwood and Underwood, Famous New York African American Soldiers Return Home (1917), courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration. The 369th (former 15th New York City) regiment marches in Harlem, including Lieutenant James Reese Europe, a well-known musician. African American veterans advocated for civil rights. Home to Harlem (1928), by Harlem Renaissance writer Claude McKay, tells the story of an African American soldier's life after his return from the war. [4012] Carl Van Vechten, Portrait of James Baldwin (1955), courtesy of the Library of Congress [LC-USZ62-42481]. James Baldwin is remembered as a civil rights activist and the author of plays, poetry, short stories, and novels, including Go Tell It on the Mountain. [4565] Prentiss Taylor, Zora Neale Hurston (n.d.), courtesy of Yale University Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Used with the permission of the Estate of Zora Neale Hurston. Photograph of Hurston dancing on couch. Known for her flamboyance and charisma, Hurston was sometimes urged by other artists to represent African Americans in more "dignified" ways. [4566] Anonymous, Their Eyes Were Watching God dustcover (1937), courtesy of Yale University, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale Collection of American Literature. Zora Neale Hurston's best-known book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, was criticized by some African American authors and leaders because it did not emphasize racial oppression. [4766] Aaron Douglas, The Judgement Day (1927), courtesy of The Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art. Aaron Douglas, American (1899-1979). Gouache on paper; 11 3/4" x 9". Douglas's painting incorporates images from jazz and African traditions and can be compared to "Harlem Shadows," by Claude McKay, and "The Weary Blues," by Langston Hughes. [5183] Valerie Wilmer, Langston Hughes in Front of Harlem Apartment (1962), courtesy of Yale University, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and the Langston Hughes Estate. Like William Carlos Williams and Carl Sandburg, Langston Hughes admired Walt Whitman and created literary personas that spoke to more than his own experience. In particular, Hughes was committed to portraying everyday African American life in his poetry. [8083] Jacob Lawrence, Rampart Street (aka Harlem Street) (1941), courtesy of the Estate of Jacob Lawrence, Collection of the Portland Art Museum, Oregon. Gift of Jan de Graaff. Jacob Lawrence, known for his visual dramatizations of African American life, often painted series on subjects like Harlem, events and figures in black history, and even Hiroshima. A number of critics have likened Lawrence's style to African American music, including jazz and boogie woogie. Lawrence's paintings can be viewed in light of the poems of Langston Hughes and contrasted with the work of later African American artist Romare Bearden. |
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