A Lot of Creative, Inspiring People

A Lot of Creative, Inspiring People

What intrigued me the most about the Harlem Renaissance was the large number of techniques people used to combat racism and stereotyped images. Clearly, racism was deeply ingrained in society and liberation from that injustice was far from easy. African-American politicians proposed various ways of alleviating its effects, especially by stressing education. Artists of the time strove to prove the images wrong by portraying people of their race as similar to white people, or as different and good that way. They also wrote to show the stupidity and meaninglessness of racism, and the extent to which it had maltreated a whole culture.

W.E.B. DuBois W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington paved the way for the Harlem Renaissance largely by setting up schools and preaching their importance. Washington focused on "the masses" of poorer blacks wanting to be able to read newspapers and do their taxes, and thought that "industrial education" was of highest priority. DuBois wanted full rights and believed that this could be achieved best through a "talented tenth" of blacks who had gotten a full education and would work to secure political rights. Though their ideologies clashed, these two men really complemented each other - Washington gave hope to those who were underprivileged, while DuBois advocated full rights which would help the race immensely in the long term. Booker T. Washington

African-American writers of the period found a surprising number of ways to creatively fight for equality through words. Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston were especially renowned for their positive portrayal of the differences in black culture, for saying why blacks should be proud of who they are. They wrote often in black vernacular and other ways which they felt were more "their own." This was somewhat of a contrast to writers like Countee Cullen and Jessie Fauset, who wrote in classical English and considered that to be a much better way of getting acknowledged by whites.

In my mind the most brilliant black writer of the time was James Weldon Johnson, a man who seemed to be involved in everything, changing his career practically every few years. His Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is about an African-American (later admittedly fictional) who was light-skinned enough to easily pass for a white person. The book's account of his experiences when people find out that he's black, or when they think he's white, show the excruciating absurdity of racism. What was particularly brilliant was publishing the book as an anonymous autobiography - the idea of it being nonfiction gave people an especially acute feeling that really the only difference between blacks and whites was skin color.

To someone like me growing up in an age where racism is mostly shunned, just the idea of good American citizens believing that other races were inferior just because of skin color is quite a shock. It's hard to imagine that less than a century ago blacks were forced to accept inequality and insulted in the streets just for being black. Finding out that many artists living in the South had to worry about lynchings and that sort of thing is almost unbelievable. Considering these grave circumstances, the courage of those who took a stand and expressed their ideas of freedom and equality is impressive and admirable.

The Harlem Renaissance is an inspiring model for any culture who is struggling for the rights they deserve. It is the story of a lot of talented and creative people who did what they could do to fight for what they knew was right. Langston Hughes in particular had the foresight to celebrate and admire diversity, a virtue that would be held in esteem by most people much later. However, even though we have come a long way, I still feel that our society is struggling to accept many types of diversity. Particularly stifling is popular culture, which chooses an "American image" that everyone should want to be like, suppressing not a particular race but individuality. However, it can be discussed and dealt with in many ways similar to those of the Harlem Renaissance.

€ An Elite Group of African-Americans
€ A New Way to Treat Racism
€ Admiring the Differences
€ Unsung Heroes of Black America
€ A Lot of Creative, Inspiring People

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	What intrigued me the most about the Harlem Renaissance was the large number of techniques people used to combat racism and stereotyped images. Clearly, racism was deeply ingrained in society and liberation from that injustice was far from easy. African-American politicians proposed various ways of alleviating its effects, especially by stressing education. Artists of the time strove to prove the images wrong by portraying people of their race as similar to white people, or as different and good that way. They also wrote to show the stupidity and meaninglessness of racism, and the extent to which it had maltreated a whole culture.
W.E.B. DuBois		W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington paved the way for the Harlem Renaissance largely by setting up schools and preaching their importance. Washington focused on "the masses" of poorer blacks wanting to be able to read newspapers and do their taxes, and thought that "industrial education" was of highest priority. DuBois wanted full rights and believed that this could be achieved best through a "talented tenth" of blacks who had gotten a full education and would work to secure political rights. Though their ideologies clashed, these two men really complemented each other - Washington gave hope to those who were underprivileged, while DuBois advocated full rights which would help the race immensely in the long term.	Booker T. Washington
	African-American writers of the period found a surprising number of ways to creatively fight for equality through words. Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston were especially renowned for their positive portrayal of the differences in black culture, for saying why blacks should be proud of who they are. They wrote often in black vernacular and other ways which they felt were more "their own." This was somewhat of a contrast to writers like Countee Cullen and Jessie Fauset, who wrote in classical English and considered that to be a much better way of getting acknowledged by whites.

	In my mind the most brilliant black writer of the time was James Weldon Johnson, a man who seemed to be involved in everything, changing his career practically every few years. His Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is about an African-American (later admittedly fictional) who was light-skinned enough to easily pass for a white person. The book's account of his experiences when people find out that he's black, or when they think he's white, show the excruciating absurdity of racism. What was particularly brilliant was publishing the book as an anonymous autobiography - the idea of it being nonfiction gave people an especially acute feeling that really the only difference between blacks and whites was skin color.
	To someone like me growing up in an age where racism is mostly shunned, just the idea of good American citizens believing that other races were inferior just because of skin color is quite a shock. It's hard to imagine that less than a century ago blacks were forced to accept inequality and insulted in the streets just for being black. Finding out that many artists living in the South had to worry about lynchings and that sort of thing is almost unbelievable. Considering these grave circumstances, the courage of those who took a stand and expressed their ideas of freedom and equality is impressive and admirable.
	The Harlem Renaissance is an inspiring model for any culture who is struggling for the rights they deserve. It is the story of a lot of talented and creative people who did what they could do to fight for what they knew was right. Langston Hughes in particular had the foresight to celebrate and admire diversity, a virtue that would be held in esteem by most people much later. However, even though we have come a long way, I still feel that our society is struggling to accept many types of diversity. Particularly stifling is popular culture, which chooses an "American image" that everyone should want to be like, suppressing not a particular race but individuality. However, it can be discussed and dealt with in many ways similar to those of the Harlem Renaissance.