The Harlem Renaissance

Langston Hughes

“Born in Joplin, Missouri, James Langston Hughes was a member of an abolitionist family. He was the great-great-grandson of Charles Henry Langston, brother of John Mercer Langston, who was the first Black American to be elected to public office, in 1855. His parents divorced when he was a small child, and his father moved to Mexico. At the age of eight in Lincoln, Illinois, Hughes began writing poetry. His father didn't think he would be able to make a living at writing, and encouraged him to pursue a more practical career. After a short time, Langston dropped out of the program with a B+ average; all the while he continued writing poetry.

Langston Hughes was one of the most important writers and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance, which was the African American artistic movement in the 1920s that celebrated black life and culture. Hughes's creative genius was influenced by his life in New York City's Harlem, a primarily African American neighborhood. His literary works helped shape American literature and politics. Hughes, like others active in the Harlem Renaissance, had a strong sense of racial pride. Through his poetry, novels, plays, essays, and children's books, he promoted equality, condemned racism and injustice, and celebrated African American culture, humor, and spirituality.

Hughes, who claimed Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg, and Walt Whitman as his primary influences, is particularly known for his insightful, colorful portrayals of black life in America from the twenties through the sixties. He wrote novels, short stories and plays, as well as poetry, and is also known for his engagement with the world of jazz and the influence it had on his writing, as in "Montage of a Dream Deferred." His life and work were enormously important in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Unlike other notable black poets of the period—Claude McKay, Jean Toomer, and Countee Cullen—Hughes refused to differentiate between his personal experience and the common experience of black America. He wanted to tell the stories of his people in ways that reflected their actual culture, including both their suffering and their love of music, laughter, and language itself.

Langston Hughes died of complications from prostate cancer in May 22, 1967, in New York. In his memory, his residence at 20 East 127th Street in Harlem, New York City, has been given landmark status by the New York City Preservation Commission, and East 127th Street has been renamed "Langston Hughes Place."

In addition to leaving us a large body of poetic work, Hughes wrote eleven plays and countless works of prose, including the well-known “Simple” books: Simple Speaks His Mind, Simple Stakes a Claim, Simple Takes a Wife, and Simple's Uncle Sam. He edited the anthologies The Poetry of the Negro and The Book of Negro Folklore, wrote an acclaimed autobiography (The Big Sea) and co-wrote the play Mule Bone with Zora Neale Hurston.”

Resources:

Langston Hughes biography and poetry. A history of Jazz before 1930.
http://www.redhotjazz.com/hughes.html
www.redhotjazz.com/hughes.html

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83
www.poets.org/lhugh/

Short illustrated profile, along with a timeline that shows major events which shaped the writer's life.
www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/hughes
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/hughes

My Imaginary Giant

"Black Jack Johnson NYC R-O-C-K-I-N-G"- Mos Def

When ever I heard the name Jack Johnson, I never thought of the singer. In my head, he was this large dominating figure who, up until recently, was nothing more than a figment of my imagination. I had heard of a boxer from the early 20th century that went by the name, but never knew anything about him; come to find out he was "the world's first Black heavyweight champion" (Schomburg Center). Imagine my shock and delight from this newfound information. All this time I had actually though of a great black man who represented strength, was actually all of that and more...He was born in Galveston, Texas where, just as any black man in the early 1900's, he was forced to do manual labor once he was of age. realizing he was rather large for a normal maqn of that time, he began to train as a boxer. He built his career off of his sheer dominance and flare in the ring. He won the heavyweight title in 1908, after knocking out Tommy Burns. He fought and beat black and white fighters, the latter leading to bigotry, and racial hatred from prejudice whites. His mere beating of white men wasn't the only reason for the hatred being tossed his way. He openly dated and married white women which ultimately lead to his arrest for violating the Mann Act, crossing state lines with a woman for "immoral purposes" (Unforgivable Blackness, PBS). He fought overseas to make ends meet and to avoid going to jail, but he eventually came home and surrended to police. After jail, he fought here and there, but never gained the notoriety or fame he once had. He appeared in movies and opened nightclubs, and ennjoyed the recogniton he did recieve from people for his unbelievable achievement and career. He was probably the most popular figure of his time, black or white. He died in a car crash in 1946. His legacy would be put to film with movies such as "The Great White Hope" and the documentary "Unforgivable Blackness". He was more than a boxer, he was a giant amongst men.

"2027 Mann Act." Usdoj.Gov. Oct. 1997. 23 Oct. 2007 http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/crm02027.htm.

Burns, Ken. "Unforgivable Blackness: the Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson." Pbs.Com. Jan. 2005. 23 Oct. 2007 http://www.pbs.org/unforgivableblackness/.

R. Lindo, Nashormeh N. "Exhibition: Jack (John Arthur) Johnson." Harlem 1900-1940 an African-American Community. 1991. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. 23 Oct. 2007 http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/text/jajohnson.html.

Marcus Garvey - A Black Crusader

Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born in St. Anne’s Bay in Jamaica on August 17, 1887. Garvey was actually a descendent of the Maroons, who were Jamaica’s first fighters for freedom. Garvey loved to read books and educate himself. At the age of 14, Garvey left Jamaica in pursuit of financial stability. It is a common tradition in Jamaica to relocate and strive for a better future. Garvey relocated in Costa Rica with a family member and worked on a sugarcane plantation. His position there did not last for long and soon enough Garvey was working for a news paper called “The Nation”. This newspaper was unique because it catered to the needs of immigrants, this was a controversial newspaper.

Garvey was a well traveled man. He then went on to visit Europe and worked on the harbor in England. He then traveled to France, Germany, Italy and Austria. In all of these countries Garvey worked in publishing and wrote for many newspapers. In 1914 Garvey returned to Jamaica where he became on of the founders of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). This organization like its title focused on the improvement of the African American. The goal of this organization was to unify all of the black people into one county, with one government. The motto of this organization was “One God! One Aim! One Destiny”.

Garvey was best known for his “Back to Africa” movement. Garvey’s main goal was to “uplift the race”, redeem African and remove European colonial powers in Africa. He had an idea that black people should return back to Africa. Garvey also organized a company called Black Star Line, in which there was international trade between black Africans in efforts to eventually return all African Americans back to Africa. Garvey believed that Africa was the ancestral home and he believed in the spirituality that existed in the Africa.

Garvey was a prominent figure in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance. This era was filled with artist, intellectuals, fine art, and literature. Harlem was the perfect place for Garvey to express his ideas and gain support from African Americans. Garvey encouraged black people to have self love and to be proud of their history.

Resources:

ARTSEDGE, March 2003, http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/exploring/harlem/faces/garvey_text.html

http://www.biographybase.com/biography/Garvey_Marcus_Mosiah.html

The Black Collegian Magazine, 2007 http://www.black-collegian.com/issues/35thAnn/garvey.shtml

Harlem Renaissance--Williams Edward Burghardt Dubois

Williams Edward Burghardt Dubois, an outstanding writer, educator andcivil right activist, is considered one of the most influential andimportant civil rights figures of the twentieth century. WilliamsEdward Burghardt Dubois, born on February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington,Massachusetts. He got his first bachelor's degree at Fisk Universityand second from Harvard University. He also was the first AfricanAmerican to receive a Ph. D. from Harvard in 1896.

Dubois was one of the founder of the National Association for theAdvancement of Colored People in 1909 which known as NAACP-the largestand oldest civil rights organization in America. He served as directorof publication of NAACP and an editor of The Crisis magazine until 1934.As editors, he was able to expand his voice and encouraged many blackfemales writers, artists, poets and novelists, featuring their works inThe Crisis. He was one of the civil rights leaders who recognize theproblems of gender discrimination. Some of his works are: TheSuppression of the Slave Trade, 1896; John Brown, 1909; Darkwater, 1920;Color and Democracy, 1945; The World and Africa, 1947; and In Battle forPeace, 1952.

He receipted the World Peace Council Price in 1952 and the Soviet LeninPeace in 1959 for his outspoken advocate about civil rights. Hesupported equal rights for everyone regardless of race then he becomeinterested in Communism. Because of his disillusion with the UnitedStates, he moved to Ghana and became as a member of Communist party in1961. He renounced his American citizenship a year later. In Ghana heserved as director of the Encyclopedia Africana before pass away onAugust 27, 1963.
http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96feb/dubois.html<http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96feb/dubois.html>

http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/dubois_w.htm<http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/dubois_w.htm>

http://americancorner.org.tw/AmericasLibrary/category/page/aa/activists/dubois.htm<http://americancorner.org.tw/AmericasLibrary/category/page/aa/activists/dubois.htm>

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/african-americans/resource/4431.html<http://www.teachervision.fen.com/african-americans/resource/4431.html> americans/resource/4431.html>

Madam C.J. Walker - Heroine, Conqueror

I've often wondered at how different a world it would be if all or even most of us were to trample

the obstacles, real or perceived, and exploit our full potential as innovators. It's possible that

mankind is decades behind where we could be socially, technologically or spiritually, because so

many of us have been guilty of not pulling our weight even as we rationalize the reasons for our

deficits. I'll concede that there might be merit in the theory that things are perhaps the way

they ought to be, that the disc-jockey, the astronomer, the milkman, the street urchin, are

fulfilling their destinies, are fulfilling an integral part in maintaining the order of things. But

everyone loves a heroine, the unlikely figure who arms herself for the fight against ancient foes

and emerges triumphant. Such a figure is Madam C.J. Walker.


Born Sarah Breedlove in 1987, Madam Walker accomplished the improbable in her mere 51

years of life. She was employed in the cotton fields of Louisiana at age five, a child bride who

married age age fourteen, bore her daughter at age 17, and was a widow by the time she was

just nineteen years of age. She was born to slaves and lived in poverty, in a society that was

hostile to non-whites such as herself. American in her day was a country where ignoring posted

"Whites Only" signs could result in death and lynching for perceived infractions was the order of

the day. No mention is made of her having had any formal education, yet, she died a corporate

mogul, and America's first self-made woman millionaire.

Madam Walker earned her millions as a result of a formula that's often taught in business

schools, that the key to launching a successful product or service is to identify a need, then meet

it. While a washerwoman, she'd begun thinking of a beauty treatment for her thinning hair. With

no background as a chemist or even a cosmetologist, she simply experimented with a formula

that had come to her in a dream until she landed upon a mixture of natural products that had a

tremendously resorative and beautifying effect on her hair. Savvy enough to realize the

potential impact of her discovery and that a huge market for it existed, she determined that

she'd market her product. She built an industry on this product and became a landowner,

employer and philanthropist.


Underscoring the several roles she developed for herself was a quality of fearlessness, and of

vision. When her ex-husband thought that minor success was sufficient, Madam Walker realized

bigger ambitions and started a mail-order arm of the business, launched a formidable national

sales team including women across a broad swath of backgrounds, and taught them how to run

their own successful businesses which would expand her market. She opened a factory, salons

and a training school. She broke ground for a building to occupy a city block to house a theatre

and cultural center that would be an oasis where blacks could feel welcome. She relocated her

business to Colorado, New York and Indianapolis as it seemed prudent. She was a woman of

action if ever there was one.


The fruits of Madam C.J. Walker's victorious conquests still exist today. Her products are still

being manufactured. Also, the Madam Walker Theatre Center building named for her still exists

and operates in Indianapolis today as a cultural and recreational facility. She not only changed

the apparent course of her own life but also impacted the lives of several employees and

associates and most certainly, their future generations. If only her drive and vision could be

bottled and made available as was her brainchild hair care product. But she evidenced the worth

of striving for accomplishment despite even tremendous odds. She defied the stereotypes and

even dangers posed for African-Americans of her time and laid a blueprint for success that

transcends race, gender or socio-economic background. She's my concept of a true heroine.



Sources:
http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/timex/1916.html
http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/walker/walker.htm
http://www.walkertheatre.com/facts.htm
http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/walker/WAfacts1.htm

Nadav's Harlem Renaissance Intro

Black Renaissance – Joshua Johnson

Joshua Johnson (1765 - 1830), whose name is written both as Johnson and Johnston, is reportedly America’s first professional black artist that was a free man. He was one of few successful African-American portrait painters and the first to become established as a portrait painter. His style was derived from the conventional English portrait style of bust-length poses and arranged backdrops. William Johnson, as called by owners of his portraits, was a Freeman, or freed slave, who may have earned his freedom through the sale of his artworks. He worked in Baltimore for over 30 years, from 1795 – 1825.
Not much known about Johnson since he moved so often throughout Baltimore and its Fells Point neighborhood. Scholar J. Hall Pleasants surmises that Johnson was probably once a slave, a house servant of a portrait painter, to Polk or Charles Willson or Rembrandt Peale. Pleasants associates Johnson’s style with that of the Peale-Polk family of portraits for its hard, linear, well-executed and attractive painting.
Johnson has thirteen known works in existence. Nine of his thirteen paintings are of children or of families with children. Pleasants has analyzed Johnson’s portraits and discovered the following characteristics: there is a “peculiar rigidity” of arms, hands legs and feet; the subjects’ faces are shown in three-quarter view; their eyes directed upward and their mouths drawn together tightly with no facial expression; the subjects often hold objects, such as books, riding crops, letters, basket, parasol, pencil, sextant, fruit or cake; brass tacks were used in upholstered settees or chairs of Sheraton type; the backgrounds of his compositions are dark and somber; and dark or red curtains are shown.


References:
1) AskArt.com. “Joshua Johnson”, 10 October 2007, <http://www.askart.com/AskART/J/joshua_johnson/joshua_johnson.aspx?ID=21306>.

2) MarylandArtSource.org. “Joshua Johnson”, 10 October 2007,
<http://www.marylandartsource.org/artists/detail_000000091.html>.

3) MDHS.org. Joshua Johnson: Freeman and early American portrait painter”, Maryland Historical Society. 10, October 2007,
<http://www.mdhs.org/kids/joshua.html>.

Duke Ellington

.“Duke” Ellington was born in Washington DC. 1989, he got “Duke” name by classmate because of his elegant manners. As a child Duke showed interest for music. When he was seven years old he started playing piano. Duke attended Armstrong Manual Training School studying commercial art. At that time he liked to listen to ragtime pianists all over Washington. In Philadelphia he arranged to meet Harvey Brooks, a very popular pianist. Mr. Brooks showed him some pianistic tricks and short cuts on the piano. Brooks impressed Duke so much so that he decided that he would become a good piano player himself. He had two very important piano teachers after meeting Harvey Books. They were Oliver Perry and Louis Brown who taught him how to read music and help him improve his overall piano playing skills. Duke dropped out of his commercial art high school three months before graduation. In 1917 he formed his own group named the Duke’s Serenaders. He was in charge of this band. He played with his group in Washington and Virginia area, usually for private society balls and embassy parties. Duke married in 1919 and soon his son Mercer was born.
In 1923 he left Washington for New York and in New York with his group newly named “Washingtonians” started to play in many clubs, such as Exclusive Club, Connie’s Inn, the Hollywood Club Ciro’s and most importantly he played in Cotton Club. It was from this Cotton Club that his music was broadcasted live across the nation under the title” From the Cotton Club”. The radio broadcasts were responsible for great popularity of the Duke band music.
In 1928 Ellington signed an agreement with Irving Mills who produced Ellington’s music. There were other recording companies such as Columbia and Victor who further spread Ellington’s band music not only in U.S. but also in the world.
Duke Ellington became one of the leading figures in jazz in the world he continued to be a leading jazz composer, musician and bandleader until his dead in 1974. Starting in 1924 his band recorded under the names Jungle Band, the Whoopee Makers and Harlem Footwormers .
In the late 1920 he also started to play in Broadway and movies. He was responsible in making jazz a great musical form because he introduce “special effects “, using instruments in new ways and infusing African and Latin elements in to his music”.
Another innovation he came up with was the use concerto form in his work as in “Concerto for Cootie”, named for Charles “Cootie” Williams, and member of the band.
Ellington was influenced by few pianists and there were many musicians who collaborated with him in his composing and arranging. The most famous of his compositions are: “Mood Indigo”, “Sophisticated Lady” and “ In a Sentimental Mood”.
His band had many fine musicians some of them played in his band for decades after his dad his son Mercer Ellington to be the leader of his band. Duke Ellington composed about 2000 compositions. He played all over the U.S. and the world (New York, New Delhi, Cairo, Paris, London). He played with such great artist as Miles Davis, Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett and Louis Armstrong. He played for Queen Elizabeth II and President Nixon. Only Armstrong was the one who had such long carrier as Ellington but “Armstrong failed to be in the artistic vanguard after 1930’s”.
The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor. President Johnson gave him a gold medal he received many numerous honors including 16 honorary doctorates from American university. His fame continues to grow, he continues to inspire many artists, and people all over the world continue to like his music.

Reference:
http://www.dukeellington com/about /bio.htm

http://redhotjazz.com.html

http://pbskids.org/jazz/nowthen/duke.html

http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/text/ellington.html

Madame C J Walker

Madame C J Walker was born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867 in Delta Louisiana, the first child in her family born after the end of slavery. In 1882, she married Moses McWilliams and they bore a daughter, A'Lelia. In 1888, her husband was murdered by a white lynch mob. Shortly after, she and her daughter moved to St. Louis, where she worked as a cook and a house cleaner. Stress had caused her hair to begin falling out. After trying several other products designed for her condition to no avail, she concocted her own formula and it really worked. After trying her product out on friends with much success, she began selling her product. In 1906, Mme Walker married her third husband, Charles Joseph Walker, a newspaper sales agent and together, they set off to travel the country selling her new line of hair products. She started out selling her products from door to door then in 1908 opened a factory and beauty school, Lelia College, in Pittsburgh. In 1910, she established a headquarters in Indianapolis while her daughter ran the Pittsburgh office. Between 1913 and 1916 Mme Walker traveled the U.S., Caribbean, and Central America to train Walker sales agents. In 1916, she moved to New York and bought a house on W 136th Street and opened a beauty salon next door. She was an avid human rights activist. In 1917 she devoted herself to having lynching made a federal crime and was part of a delegation that visited the White House to petition President Wilson for her cause. In this year, she also hosted her first annual Walker Beauty Culturists Convention in Philadelphia. In 1918, she moved into Villa Lewaro, the mansion she built in New York. She loved to entertain. The following year, Madame C J Walker died on May 25, 1919 at the age of 51 of kidney failure at Villa Lewaro. Mme Walker is known to be the first American female self-made millionaire. The site of her manufacturing company in Indianapolis and Villa Lewaro have been made national historic landmarks and turned into museums. In 1998, she became the 21st African American to be featured in the United States Postal Service Black Heritage series. She has had many accomplishments in her lifetime and and has done many things for the betterment of the African American community. She was a big part of the Harlem Renaissance.

Sources:

Madam C.J. Walker The Official Web Site
http://www.madamecjwalker.com/index.html

Women In History: Living vignettes of notable women from U.S. history
http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/walk-mad.htm

Schomburg Exhibition, Harlem 1900-1940: Schomburg Exhibit C.J. Walker
http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/text/cjwalker.html

Adam Clayton Powell, Sr::

Adam Clayton Powell, Sr, was a Harlem Renaissance's activist, who was born in 1865. His parents, Anthony and Sally Dunning Powell, were slaves. Before his parents got together, the mother became pregnant by her owner which provoked Powell to get light skin(3) . He became a prominent churchmen, and built one church in 138th St in Harlem (1). Srving churches, such as St. Paul in Philadelphia, helped him create more religious values, and better religious skills. He went to Virginia Union University to study law and politics. He graduated in 1892(1). he also studied in the Yale University School of Divinity(3). in 1908, he was named pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist church in New York City(1).
He became a respected preacher, and many people started to follow him right away. He advocated for the poor, and for better jobs during the Depression. He also advocated for racism.
He built one of the 'first community recreation centers in Harlem'(1). Powell contributed in a big part to the Harlem Renaissance Era, by giving birth to churches, and many beliefs of freedom:"Soon Powell came to see Harlem as 'the symbol o0f liberty'"(3).
He founded the National Urban League, and he formed part of the Silent Protest Parade in 1917 (2). This parade intended that people should protest in silent, they were protesting due to the masacres and lynching against African-Americans in th 1917, in Illinois and Texas (2). He also started the 'gorpel bombardment', which intended to attack 'pimps, prostitutes, and gamblers, taht engaged in criminal mischief'(3). This contributed to call the attention of the media and got him to appeared in the newspapers (3).Reverend Powell was a proponent of racial pride and believed in Education and hard work(2). Powell had a son whom he named Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. This kid became the first African-American to hold office in Congress representing the state of New York(2).
Powell dies in 1953, leaving behind many legacies, such as his church.

Reference
(1) http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/1751/spiritual_charisma_Adam_clayton_powell.html

(2) http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/text/acpowell.html

(3) http://www.vernonjohns.org/tcal001/vjbscgsp.html

The Silent Protest of 1917

The first massive African American protest in American history took place on July 28th, 1917, in New York City. It was a silent parade, in protest of the East St. Louis, Illinois, massacre that happened on July 2nd, 1917; as well as all the violent events that was happening against African Americans around the country. This parade was organized by the NAACP, churchmen and other civil leaders.
The riot in East St. Louis began when white men , angry because African Americans were employed by a factory holding government contracts, went on a rampage. Over $400,000. worth of property was destroyed. At least 40 African American were killed; and men, women and children were beaten, stabbed, hung and burned. Almost 6,000 African American were driven from their homes.
The African American communities were also upset because while black men were sent to combat in World War I, which the President Woodrow Wilson described as necessary to the survival of democracy abroad; these same men was denied their basic rights here in the United States.
Across the country, the black community was tried of the violence targeted towards them and on July 28th, 1917, 8,000 African American mostly from Harlem, marched down Fifth Avenue. They were dressed in their finest clothes and marched to the sound of muffled drums. The children, dressed in white, led the way; followed by the women who were also dressed in white, then the men, dressed in black suites.
Though they marched silently, they carried picket signs that read, "Mother, do lynchers go to heaven?", "Mr. President, why not make America safe foe democracy?", "Thou shalt not kill!", " We are maligned as lazy and murdered when we work!"; and handed out leaflets.
They marched without saying one word or making a single gesticulation and protested in respectful silence against the reign of unnecessary terror to which the black race was subjected to in the United States.

Bibliography:
Encyclopedia of The Harlem Renaissance; Cary D. Wintz, Paul Finkelman

1917 EVENTS, Silent Protest Parade in New York.
http:// www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/timex/1917.html

The Brownies Book; published by NAACP

SAT U.S. History, World War I.
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/chapter15section4.rhtml

Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. - David V

On May 5th, 1865, one of the most influential African-Americans was born. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. was born in Franklin County, Virginia, named after another great American, Benjamin Franklin. Powell, with his mixed heritage, perfectly represented America as his mother was a slave and of mixed Native American and African decent while his father was a Caucasian slave owner.

Powell’s youth was troubled as he grew up in a time of extreme prejudice against African-American’s. I imagine that as he was mixed, he may have experienced prejudice from not only Caucasions, but his African-American brethren as well during his youth. According to Powell, he was “a bum, a drunkard, a gambler, and a juvenile delinquent.” Like many stories of other persons of great historical figures, it took a big fall, a slap in the face in the form of a costly gambling loss that began to lead him down the road he was meant for. It was the faith teachings of his stepfather, who raised him and had been a slave that stirred something within him while walking by a revival after his gambling losses. From that point on, Powell was a changed man determined to make positive change for his fellow brethren

It was 1885 when Powell began his road towards leading the church when he converted and began his studies. By the time Powell graduated from his base studies in 1892, he was versed in law, politics, and theology. Shortly after, he began leading several churches.

Over time Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. became known as a passionate preacher with the ability to draw and hold crowds do to his presence and messages. As his wealth and reputation increased, he became more influential in the African-American community and eventually bought a land in Harlem that would hold the church that cemented his reputation as a cultural leader.

The Abyssinian Baptist Church had been around for a century but experienced a major rebirth under Powell. Powell used his influence from the pulpit to speak out against racism and for equal rights. He birthed many establishments for the Harlem community and had a son, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. who further led the African-American community.

What defines a successful life that one could look back on and feel proud? If it is a life that changed the welfare of others for the better and brought about a strong family line, then surely Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. had a successful life. Today, Powell, Sr. is buried in Flushing cemetery but his legacy lives on.

REFERENCES:

Franklin Co, VA Genealogy
http://www.rootsweb.com/~vafrankl/franklin.htm

Judith Newman, Glory Days: Adam Clayton Powell, Sr.
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4790

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Adam Clayton Powell, Sr.
http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/text/acpowell.html

Find a Grave, Dr Adam Clayton Powell, Sr
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5122

“Florence Mills: Harlem Jazz Queen”,

It is the name of the book by Bill Egan about incredibly talented African-American woman, who almost forgotten today due to poor recording at those days.
Florence Mills was born in 1896 in Washington DC in a very poor family. First time she appeared on the stage at the age of 4, and won talent contest for dancing. At the age of 9 she was arrested as an underage performer. Her family moved to New York in 1905, and Florence had to go to a normal school (according to the state law). Few years later she and her two sisters played vaudeville known as “The Mills Sisters”. She was a singer, dancer, and actress. She could make people smile and cry in the five minutes. She believed that through her talent and performance she will show that black people are the same as everybody else, and deserve equal rights.
She played in many musicals around the country, but became famous after taking the leading role in the Black musical “Shuffle Along”. She had the great success; she was “the first Black woman to be so featured”.
Couple years latter the show “Blackbirds” became world famous. It’s performed in France and England. Florence loved London, she wanted to stay there.
Florence Mills became sick (some sources say it was appendicitis, some – tuberculosis), and died after the surgery at the age of 31. Her funeral attended 150.000 people in Harlem – the largest funeral Harlem ever seen.

Florence Mills: A Lost Treasure, by Bill Egan
http://www.nathanielturner.com/florencemills.htm

Florence Mills house
Florence Mills (1895-1927), entertainer
http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/pwwmh/ny24.htm

Negro: An Anthology, by Nancy Cunardhttp://books.google.com/books?id=MIf25BbAQxUC&pg=PA201&lpg=PA201&dq=florence+mills&source=web&ots=biZI-PJK4c&sig=HfN98dA-kxeZufc24FhrZYZ-ww4#PPA201,M1

W.E.B. DU BOIS 1868-1963

Dr. William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B) Du Bois was an extraordinary man with countless talents, however he is best known for his contributions as an African American civil rights leader. In addition to this he was also a full time scholar, sociologist, writer, poet, editor and professor of a multitude of subjects. He was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on February 23 1886. His parents were an interracial couple living in a well established black community. Du Bois was an excellent student and accelerated through school rapidly having graduated high school early. He later attended Harvard’s graduate school and became the first African American to receive a doctorates degree.


Du Bois laid down significant groundwork in the social sciences regarding the plight of African Americans from the periods of the 17th century and early to mid 20th century. Some of his famous works as a social scientist were “The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America” and “Philadelphia Negro”. Dubois also a Pan-Africanist, structured the first annual Pan-African Congress meeting. He then later went on to become one of the founding fathers of another organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1910.


Du Bois was a bold intellectual leader and rigorously stood for what he believed…“Du Bois was indicted under the McCarran Act, one in a long series of legislation instituted as a means to curtail personal and intellectual freedoms, in retaliation for calling upon the United Nations to hear the crimes of the U.S. government against its own people.” He is considered by many as one of the greatest minds of twentieth century.


Reference:

Wager, Jennifer. “The W.E.B. Du Bois Virtual University” 1994. Georgetown University. http://members.tripod.com/~DuBois/index.htm

Sundquist. J., Eric. W.E.B. Du Bois: The Oxford Reader. New York Oxford University Press 1996.

Wormser, Richard. “Jim Crow Stories” The rise and fall of Jim Crow. 2002. www.pbs.org http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_people_dubois.html

Sha-Keida H. - Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston, a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist was born January 7, 1891 in Eatonville, Florida although some records may show her year of birth as 1901 in Notasulga, Alabama. This is because Zora altered her true age in order to complete her education to qualify for college. She attended Howard University and later Barnard College in the late 1920s where she studied anthropology and received her B.A. in 1928. Zora became well known during the Harlem Renaissance, a decade of achievements in the 1920s for many African American artists. During this time, she published several short stories and became an area of interest for other members of the Harlem Renaissance, most notably Langston Hughes. Later, in the 1930s she released her first novel, Jonah’s Gourd Vine followed by her most popular novel, Their Eyes were Watching God. The late 1930s also saw the publication of another novel, Moses, Man of the Mountain followed by her fourth and last novel, Seraph on the Suwanee in the late 1940s. Between writing novels Zora also published an autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road, and wrote several folklore and short stories. At the time of her death, January 28, 1960 Zora still was not well known so much that she was buried in a grave without a headstone. However in 1973, Alice Walker, upon researching Zora after reading Eyes decided to mark her grave with a headstone that read, “Zora Neale Hurston: A Genius of the South.” Although Zora received criticism regarding her representation of Blacks, Walker defended her once stating Zora was, “wildly in love with people of color.”

References:

Women in History. Zora Neale Hurston biography - extended. Lakewood Public Library. .

Boyd, Valerie. About Zora Neale Hurston. 2007 http://www.zoranealehurston.com/biography.html

Grosvenor, Vertamae. Intersections: Crafting a Voice for Black Culture,
Alice Walker on Zora Neale Hurston’s “Spiritual Food”, Morning Edition, April 26, 2004 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1849395

Swan Phonograph

At the start of the twentieth century, political restrictions over African-American discrimination were weakening. Despite that, most rural areas in America did not abandon racial policies and were far from it. Major American cities on the other hand, while were still high on racial profiling did allow African-Americans to somewhat excel. One major way of African-American breakthrough was through music, which at the time was a unique novelty to the American culture. African-American music revolutionized the world of music altogether and still exists today as one of the most lucrative business opportunities.
As most businesses find home in New York City, African-American music was not an exception. “The Blues” one of the most renowned African-American genres began in New York. Harry Herbert Pace, often referred to as one of the fathers of “the blues,” has quickly realized his opportunities and has moved to New York City to pursue his dream. Harry was born and graduated school in Atlanta, working in the law and insurance fields. Coming to New York one of Pace’s biggest challenges was to produce his own music, which his business experience has helped him overcome.
The problem with music production that African-Americans have faced was not that they did not possess the skill to do it, but very often, White music production companies did not allow Blacks to be recognized for what they have done. In other words a company would produce African-American music yet claim credit for it and Blacks never had the chance to truly show society where their art came from. Pace’s experience came from the business world and he knew very well that it is not who has the skill to make music, that will succeed but the one who can sell it and claim credit for it. In 1921, Harry has founded the “Pace Phonograph Corporation, Inc.” with five board of directors being the greatest leaders of the Harlem Renaissance of all time.
Bibliography
Loo, De. "Black Swan Records, 1921 to 1924: From a Swanky Swan to a Dead Duck." Articles. Nov. 2003. 7 Oct. 2007 .
McHie, Benjamin. "Black Swan Records Formed." The African American Registry. 1999. Non-Profit Education Organization. 7 Oct. 2007 .
Weusi, Jitu K. "The Rise and Fall of Swan Records." 1996. 7 Oct. 2007 .

Harlem Renaissance - Luisa Sierra

Harlem Renaissance - Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was the biggest literary star of the Harlem Renaissance. He produced a truly astonishing amount of writing in his lifetime: Sixteen books of poetry, twenty plays seven collections of short fiction, and many magazine and newspaper articles.
Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. He died of congestive heart failure, May 22, 1967, in New York City. His parents soon separated, and Hughes was reared mainly by his mother, his maternal grandmother, and a childless couple named Reed. He attended public schools in Kansas and Illinois, graduating from high school in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1920.
Langston Hughes devoted his lengthy and diverse writing career to revealing the attitudes, experiences, and language of everyday black Americans. Hughes rose to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and was one of the first black writers to infuse his work with colloquial language as well as the structures and rhythms of blues and jazz music.
In the early 1920s Hughes devoted more and more time to his writing, and began what would become a lifelong fascination with travel. After teaching English for a year in Mexico, he moved to New York City and enrolled in Columbia University. There he spent as much time as possible among Harlem's flourishing literary and musical circles and supported himself through a series of odd jobs that included work as a clerk, busboy flower salesman, and deck hand.
In the spring of 1927, Hughes met a wealthy white woman, Charlotte Mason, who became his literary patron and provided him with a steady income while he worked on his first novel, Not without Laughter. During the 1940s Hughes was firmly established as a leading black poet, fiction writer, and playwright. In 1943 he began writing the short fiction for which he would become most famous, the "Simple" tales, which first began appearing in 1943 as a regular column in the Chicago Defender, a black-owned newspaper.
By the time of his death Hughes was widely recognized as the most representative of African-American writers and perhaps the most original of black poets. What set him apart was the deliberate saturation of his work in the primary expressive forms of black mass culture as well as in the typical life experiences of the mass of African-Americans, whom he viewed with near-total love and devotion. Despite his humane interest in other cultures and peoples, he saw blacks as his primary audience.

Works Cited

• Posters information about Langston Hughes
Copyright © 1998-2003 AllPosters.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

• "Langston Hughes." Contemporary Black Biography. The Gale Group, Inc, 2006. Answers.com 08 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/langston-hughes-poet-writer

• "Langston Hughes." Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2006. Answers.com 08 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/langston-hughes-poet-writer

• "Langston Hughes." Spotlight. Answers Corporation, 2006. Answers.com 08 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/langston-hughes-poet-writer

Bibliography:
• Faith Berry, Langston Hughes: Before and beyond Harlem (1983); Arnold Rampersad, The Life of Langston Hughes, 2 vols. (1986, 1988). Author: Arnold Rampersad

Harlem Renaissance Intro: Claude McKay

Claude Festus McKay was a Native of Jamaica West Indies. He was born in the parish of Clarendon on September 15, 1890. At the tender age of seven years old he was “adopted” by his brother Uriah Theodore an educator. Under the guidance of his brother, Claude McKay was educated. As a youth he became interested in writing poetry. During 1907 he became acquainted with British folklorist Walter Jekyll who was living in Jamaica. The two became later became long standing friends. Jekyll encourage McKay to compose poetry deeply rooted in the island folk’s culture. In 1912 Jekyll assisted McKay to publish his first two poems, Songs of Jamaica and Constab Ballads. Constab Ballads was base on his personal experience as a police officer in the Jamaica Constabulary Force in 1911.

In order to pursue his poetic career Claude McKay came to the United States in August 1912. He went to Tuskegee Institute and Kansas State College to study agriculture. However, in 1914 he gave up his studies in farming and went to New York. During the period of 1914 and 1919, Claude McKay became deeply connected with political and literary radicals. He joined the International Workers of the World in 1919. McKay was a close companion of many African Caribbean Socialists, including the likes of Hubert H. Harrison, Richard B.Moore and Cyril Briggs. Claude was also a member of the African Blood Brotherhood. His association with Max and Crystal Eastman, editors of the Liberator led to the publishing of his poem, “If We Must Die”, in the July 1919 issue of the Liberator.

Claude McKay later went to England. He wrote for British Socialist Sylvia Pankhurst’s Workers’ Dreadnought. In 1920 he published “Spring in New Hampshire”, a third volume of his poems. In 1921 McKay returned to the United States. He assumed the responsibility of coeditor for the Liberator, but later resigned the position in July1922. Claude released his fourth collections of poems, Harlem Shadows, in the spring of 1922.

Due to his discontent with left-wing effort to deal with racism in England and the United States, he went to the Soviet Union. He attended the Third Communist International in November 1922. McKay was accepted by the Russian public and gave lectures on art and politics.

McKay left Russia and traveled Europe and Africa. During his visit to France, he published “Home to Harlem” in 1928. This was Claude McKay most popular novel and is “studied within the context of the Harlem Renaissance”.

In 1937 McKay published his autobiography, “A Long Way From Home”. In 1940 he released Harlem: Negro Metropolis. He became a member of the Catholic faith in 1944.
McKay battle with poor health came on May 22, 1948 when he died in Chicago.


Bibliography
Kenneth Ramchand, The West Indian Novel and Its Background, 1970. Wayne F. Cooper, ed., The Passion of Claude McKay: Selected Poetry and Prose, 1912–1948, 1973.
Jean Wagner, Black Poets of the United States: From Paul Laurence Dunbar to Langston Hughes, 1973.
James Giles, Claude McKay, 1976.
Wayne F. Cooper, Claude McKay: Rebel Sojourner in the Harlem Renaissance, 1987.
Tyrone Tillery, Claude McKay: A Black Poet's Struggle for Identity, 1992

http://www.answers.com/claude%20mckay

Harlem Renaissance Edward Kennedy Ellington

Edward Kennedy (Duke) Ellington was born on April 29,1899 in Washington D.C., his parents James Ellington and Daisy Kennedy were great role models for the young Duke, teaching him table manners all the way to understanding the emotional value of music. Duke is now considered the century's preeminent jazz bandleaders and composer. It is estimated that his orchestra recorded around two thousand compositions. Young Duke started at the age of seven with piano lessons, but these faded quickly because of his love of baseball. Ellington got his nickname of "Duke" from a friend who was commenting on his elegant manners, and dress. Duke atteneded Armstrong Manual Training School to study commercial art, at this time he seeked out and listened to ragtime pianists during the summers were he vacationed with his parents down in Asbury Park. This is where he discovered Harvey Brooks a pianist, who inspired Duke to play and look at the piano in a whole new light. Duke was then taught how to read music by Oliver "Doc" Perry and Louis Brown. Duke started playing clubs and dropped out of school three months shy of graduation, starting his proffesional music career. In 1917 Duke formed his first group and by 1923 he left Washington and moved to New York. Through the power of radio listeners throughout New York heard Duke Ellington, spawning his first recordings. Thanks to the wide spread sales of radio recievers Duke's band was broadcasted across the nation live on "From The Cotton Club", which is a club that still exsits in Harlem. Some of Duke Ellington's greatest hits include 'Satin Doll," "Take The A Train," and "Sophisticated Lady." He also preformed a series of sacred concerts, he recieved 16 honoray doctorates from American universities, the Spingarn medal, the President's Gold Medal from Lydon B. Johnson and the French Legion of Honor. Ellington has great influence on people even today, people such as South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, jazz singer/composer Sathima Bea Benjamin and his son Mercer Ellington who was also a bandleader after his father's death on May 24, 1974. Also Stevie Wonder's hit "Sir Duke" is in honor of Duke Ellington. I think Duke Ellington Played a big part in the Harlem Renaissance, because it was bands like his that brought the nation into Harlem with shows like live from the Cotton Club, these are the things that put Harlem on the map.

Bibliography:

The Century, by Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster
Doubleday , copyright 1998 by ABC Television Network

www.dukeellington.com

Our Century In Pictures, by Richard B Stolley
A Bulfinch Press Book copyriight 1999 by Time Inc.

Harlem Renaissance: Marcus Mosiah Garvey

Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born in Saint Anns bay on the north coast of Jamaica on August 17th, 1887. He was the youngest of his siblings. He moved to Kingston, Jamaica at the age of 14. He helped set up The Watchman Newspaper, and was elected vise president of the compositors’ branch of printers’ Union, which closed up after the collapse of a strike earlier.

Marcus Garvey left to Central and Southern America to earn money only to see that Blacks everywhere were experiencing hardship and discrimination. After his travel he returned to Jamaica to appeal to the Jamaican government to help improve the plight of West Indian workers in Central America. His appeals gave way to little effort for change. Marcus Garvey traveled to England in 1911 to study in Birbeck College, where he met other fellow Blacks who had the same idea of black liberation from the colonial powers. He was also introduced to African Studies. Inspired by what he saw, he went back to Jamaica to fulfill his plans, which led to establishing the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).

After the birth of UNIA, Marcus sets his goal to the United States (with the idea of expanding the UNIA), he arrived on March 23rd, 1916. In June 1917, he organized the first branch of UNIA. By 1919, at his surprise, the organization grew to thirty branches and over one million members. Marcus did not feel as if Whites would ever agree to treat African Americans as equals, so he argued that the best way to solve the racial conflict was segregation rather than integration. His suggestion was that, Blacks should go back to Africa. He writes that he believes in the principles of Europe for Europeans, Asia for Asia tics and Africa for Africans.

Garvey staged a month-long convention in Harlem, New York, which was attended by thousands from twenty five countries and all forty-eight states. He presented a policy statement on “Back to Africa” program and proclaimed a formal “Declaration of Rights” for Blacks all over the world. Before the convention ended, the delegates voted to create an African government with Marcus Garvey at its head and to organize Black people of the world into a free republic to Africa.

In 1919, by encouraging the over one million UNIA members to purchase shares in the Black Star Line Steamship Company, he acquired three vessels and put them into service between New York, Central America and the West Indies. Few years later, Black Star Line became bankrupt. Marcus was arrested for mail fraud in connection with the sale of Black Star stocks, and convicted of the crime; he was fined, and ordered to serve a five-year jail term sentence at Atlanta penitentiary in 1925. Two years later, President Calvin Coolidge commuted his sentence, but ordered him to be deported to Jamaica. At this point, Garvey turned to Jamaican politics. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the legislative council. By the mid 1930’s, however, the Black inhabitant of the island had found their economic and political position so improved that they paid less heed to his proposals,

Marcus Garvey retired to London in 1935, where he died on June 10th, 1940 following a stroke. His plans had failed; but he captured the millions of Black people as no other leader had before him. He lived his life with a mission; he united the Black community together, which gave them pride in their race.




BIBLIOGRAPHY

Franklin, John H. Black Leaders of the Twentieth Century
1973, University of Illinois Press: Chicago. PP. 105-138

Ploski, Harry A. The Negro Almanac.
1971, Bellwether Publishing Company: New York. PP. 135-138 & 232

http:// bbc.co.uk/history

http:// pbs.org/wgbh/amex/garvey

David Faireys post - Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson was the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion. Johnson was born in Galveston, Texas and began his fighting career after a combination of dropping out of school in the fifth grade and beating up a local bully (“(John Arthur)”). Johnson reached new heights when he fought and knocked out Bob Fitzsimmons, an ex-heavyweight champion, in 1906. Because he was black, however, other white boxers refused to fight the man of color. This changed, however, when Tommy Burns, the heavyweight champion, was goaded into a fight with Johnson in 1908. Johnson embarrassed Burns in the ring and claimed the heavyweight title as his own (“(John Arthur)”). This set off riots in many places in a time when boxing was a very important sport to “White America”. Jim Jeffries, a former champion, came out of retirement donned as the “Great White Hope” in an attempt to dethrone Johnson. However, on July 4, 1910, Johnson defeated Jeffries in 15 rounds. Jeffries would later say, “I could never have whipped Johnson at my best.”(“Jack”).
Johnson would later create more controversy with his numerous relationships with famous white women in a time when interracial relationships were nonexistent and considered criminal. In 1913, Johnson was convicted in a case based on a consensual relationship with a white woman (“Pardon”). In April of 2005, Senator John McCain moved to give a pardon for Johnson’s convictions based on the knowledge that they were solely based on the color of Johnson’s skin, rather than the commitment of any crime (“Pardon”). To this date, there have been no developments in the case as it has been stagnated in the senate and house, despite backings by Orrin Hatch, Ted Stevens, John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, and Harry Reid (“Pardon”).



Works Cited

“Jack Johnson.” ESPN. 24 Jan. 2001. 3 Oct. 2007 .

“A Pardon for Jack Johnson?” CBS NEWS 7 Apr. 2005. 3 Oct. 2007 .

“Jack (John Arthur) Johnson (1878-1946) heavyweight boxing champion, entrepreneur.” The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. 3 Oct. 2007 .

Harlem Renaissance- Harlem Hospital

Harlem Hospital was founded in 1887; its mission was to provide health care for the burgeoning population north of Central Park. The hospital grew as the Harlem community grew; by 1907 it was replaced by a larger institution, a 150-bed facility located between 136th and 137th street on Lenox Avenue. Its history is deeply interwoven with the Harlem community. During the 1920’s and 1930’s it experienced a revolutionary change, as black physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers came on staff. There was much discrimination against blacks, especially against black physicians on staff. In 1926 the first black interns were accepted at Harlem Hospital. A prominent surgeon named Dr. Louis T. Wright, who joined the staff in 1919, was the first black physician on staff at any city hospital. Under Dr. Wright’s leadership, the black medical staff at the hospital would have a positive impact on the quality of medical care for not only the Harlem community, but for black people all across the United States.

Harlem Hospital was located in the hub of the cultural center of Harlem. In 1933, during the Great Depression, nearly 50 percent of black Americans were out of work. In 1935, The Works Progress Administration (WPA) under President Roosevelt was formed to address the widespread unemployment that plagued the country. The WPA established the Federal Art Project which was designed to employ artists. The WPA period is considered to be an important period of African American visual-art history. In 1936, the WPA commissioned 7 black artists to paint murals at Harlem Hospital, which was the first time the government commissions were awarded to blacks.

Four of the seven murals were opposed by Harlem Hospital’s white superintendent, and a major public controversy ensued. The superintendent objected to the artwork containing “too much Negro subject matter” and claimed that his hospital “was not a Negro hospital, so why should it be singled out for Negro subject matter.”

The obvious racism contained in these statements fueled a major public debate led by Dr. Louis Wright. The Harlem Artists Guild issued a statement condemning these views, and on February 22, 1936 the New York Times ran an article about the controversy. Eventually Harlem Hospital’s leadership backed down and the murals were accepted.

The Harlem Hospital murals were described in histories of African-American art by many notable writers and art historians. But they soon fell into obscurity and deteriorated. Only recently has Harlem Hospital committed to restoring the murals.

References

Bailey, Peter A. (1991) The harlem hospital story:100 years of struggle against illness, racism
and genocide. Richmond, VA: Native Sun Publishers

Columbia University Digital Knowledge Ventures. (2006) Harlem Hospital WPA Murals.
Retrieved October 3, 2007 from http://www.columbia.edu/cu/iraas/wpa/wpa/index.html

Harewood, Stephanie. (October 27, 2006) Harlem Hospital Center. Retrieved October 3, 2007 from
http://www.volunteernyc.org/org/2568802.html