Arts and Media

Remembering The Harlem Renaissance

By Cortland Jones

Are you familiar with the time period in American history known as the Harlem Renaissance? This year marks the 104-year anniversary of a forgotten but significant moment in our nation’s history where African Americans engaged in the celebration of culture, history, the visual and performing arts, music, literature, and fashion Though much about that time period from 1919-1930’s is not acknowledged, promoted, or recognized today, there are many familiar names and individuals from that time period

Do you recognize any of these names? Men and women like: Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, W E B DuBois, Josephine Baker, Alain Locke, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong are just a few names we have been made aware of and we celebrate, but the time period itself is rarely as celebrated as the individuals who helped to make it what it came to be This is another reason why this time period is significant because it is a rich moment in history associated with our legacy of who we are as a people and the representation of the type of power we can wield when we become united against the forces that seek to keep us enslaved to ideologies that keep us powerless, uninformed, and hopeless. It is not a coincidence this time period is not promoted nationally like, say, Juneteenth. What would happen if our people and communities became aware of the full potential of who we are, what we’re capable of, and what we can achieve when we’re united in our effort and initiative to uplift ourselves, mobilize, and use our God-given abilities, skills, talents to better ourselves and our communities collectively?

Keep in mind the Harlem Renaissance occurred before the Civil Rights Movement. During segregation, while lynchings were a part of our American society, less than one hundred years after slavery ended. This is the backdrop from which our people chose to promote the best of who we are and say to America, ‘We refuse to accept your portrayal and perception of how you see us!’ It was as radical a movement in its day as the Civil Rights Movement was in its day. It was an incredible expression and display of intelligence, creativity, and beauty unrivaled by any other moment in America’s great history when you consider the time period, the phenomena of contributions to society and the proud legacy it provided. There are a great number of individuals today who carry on the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance through the ways and means by which they promote and celebrate our diverse historical and cultural heritage For the sake of our own posterity and future generations, we owe it to ourselves to ensure we make use of our access to social media platforms, media, and literary outlets to promote and celebrate our history and culture The Harlem Renaissance provides us a blueprint for us to grab hold of the baton and run with the ambition to control our local, regional, and national narrative of what makes us who we are as a culture and community to refute the ongoing negative stereotypes, perspectives, and perceptions of who we are portrayed as by the local and national media

During the time I served as an educator, I became aware of African American artist Jacob Lawrence. He is a product of the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance. He is actually regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, but you may not have heard of him. He is remembered and celebrated for his 60-panel series of paintings known as The Great Migration that depicted the experiences of the Negro in the south and the sufferings associated with segregation. Many Negroes chose to leave the south migrating north to find a better way of life than what was offered to them. I was able to take my art students to see the exhibit when it was on display at the Phillips Collection art gallery in Washington, DC early in my teaching career. My discovery of Jacob Lawrence greatly influenced the way I taught art and remains my connection to this rich time period known as the Harlem Renaissance. Jacob Lawrence often used themes associated with culture and history of the African American in his artwork. Children’s books about Harriet Tubman, The Great Migration, and John Brown contain images of his artwork. Today, I see African American Artist Leroy Campbell in the same way I see Jacob Lawrence Campbell uses the same themes as Lawrence did and I was attracted to the creative use of color and shape in Campbell’s work as it was used in Lawrence’s. A reminder of our need to keep the spirit of the Renaissance alive.

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