FACES OF HARLEM

1. FACES OF HARLEM The Harlem Renaissance Dr. Jarmon

2. WHAT IS THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE? The Harlem Renaissance got its name because it reminded observers of the European Renaissance (i.e. "re-birth") that began in the 14th and 15th centuries and permanently Changed European culture and society. Beginning in the cities of Italy and spreading over the next two centuries to all of Europe, this first Renaissance represented the end of the looked to classical Greek and Roman civilization for insight and inspiration - was an upsurge of culture, learning, entertainment and rediscovery of roots that showed itself in art, writing, literature, politics, technology and many other areas. In addition, people moved to the cities and started to look at themselves in a new way and many became literate. For African Americans, the Harlem Renaissance of the New Negro Period was a similar period of progressive change (in how people saw themselves, where they lived, cultural expression, literature and literacy, politics and many other ways). There were some differences however. The Harlem Renaissance looked to Africa and Black American culture for inspiration and was confined to mostly (but not totally) one country and one race. Nevertheless, both Renaissances represented a period of enlightenment after a period of destruction, rediscovery of culture and a glorious past, new thinking, and the creation of new expressions.

3. NOVELISTS and WRITERS JEAN TOOMER CLAUDE McKAY JESSIE R. FAUSET NELLA LARSEN GEORGE SCHULYER ZORA HURSTON

4. Literature is one of the areas in which the Harlem Renaissance is best known And had its widest impact on many people living outside Harlem. The writers of ideas and an identity that has left a lasting influence on both Black and White America. There were many key writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Some of the major names include: Countee Cullen the poet, Langston Hughes the novelist and poet, James Weldon Johnson, a poet and novelist Claude McKay a novelist W.E.B. DuBois, a political activist, Novelist There were many others (often novelists or poets) whose works reflected the New Negro images and thoughts. In addition to novels and books written by single authors there were also collaborative efforts. One very important one was the short-lived magazine "Fire!!" which featured the work of several writers and artists. Most of the copies were burned up in a real warehouse fire and the few surviving copies are rare and expensive treasures today. LITERATURE

5. RUDOLF FISHER LANGSTON HUGHES WALLACE THURMAN C ARL VAN VECHTEN ERIC WALROND WALTER WHITE

6. HARLEM’S NEW ACTORS The first stage of the Harlem Renaissance started in the late 1910s. 1917 saw the Premiere of Three Plays for a Negro Theatre. Many plays that were written often rejected the stereotypes of the blackface and minstrel show traditions. Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in Which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. In 1848, blackface minstrel shows were the National art of the time, translating formal art such as opera into popular terms for a general audience. Early in the 20th century, blackface branched off from the minstrel Show and became a form in its own right, until it ended in the United States with the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Lincoln Theatre, one of the first theaters in New York to allow African Americans to pass through its doors, was an integral part of Harlem's cultural scene. In 1915, the Lincoln became the original home of an all-black theatrical troupe. The Lincoln went on to thrive in the 1920s and 1930s, showcasing many of Harlem's hottest jazz and vaudeville performers, including Ethel Waters and Florence Mills. The Lafayette Theatre, a 1,000-seat venue also featured silent movie screenings with musical accompaniment by pianist Fats Waller. The Lafayette Theatre played two starring roles in the Harlem Renaissance: the first New York City playhouses to welcome Integrated audiences, but its stage was among the first to showcase sophisticated performances by African-American actors. It cast Black actors in serious dramatic roles, many of them written for white actors by white authors.. Serious black actors such as Paul Robeson rose above the stereotyped or comedic roles to which they had once been classified.

7. ACTORS/PRODUCERS Angelina W. Grimke Richard B. Nugent Charles Gilpin Paul Robeson Ethel Waters

8. ARTISTS Augusta Savage Charles Alston Palmer Hayden Sargent Johnson Jacob Lawrence Romare Bearden Lois M. Jones

9. ARTWORK OF THE RENAISSANCE Palmer Hayden Aaron Douglas Richard Barthe Augusta Savage

10. POETS Arna Bontemps Helene Johnson Lewis Alexander Gwendolyn Bennett Georgia Douglas Johnson May Miller James Weldon Johnson

11. A SPIRITUAL ANTHEM FOR ALL PEOPLE Johnson first wrote “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as a poem in 1900. Hundreds of African-American students performed it at a celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday at Jacksonville, Florida’s Stanton School, where Johnson was principal. Johnson’s brother, John Rosamond Johnson, later set the poem to music. By 1920, the NAACP had proclaimed the song the “Negro National Anthem.” Askew, an associate professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, a historically black college, found letters of appreciation to Johnson from individuals of all different ethnic backgrounds. At that moment, Askew had a revelation: The song he’d known as the “black national anthem” was for everybody.

13. MUSICIANS Duke Ellington Billie Holiday Count Basie Ella Fitzgerald Louis Armstrong Lean Horne

14. A Spectacular Venue The most famous club for African-American performers and popular music in the U.S. was the Apollo Theater, a continuing legacy of the Harlem Renaissance. From the beginning, the Apollo offered amateur nights each evening, where many famous artists, such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Jackson, and James Brown, started their show business careers. Although its popularity declined in the 1960s and 70s, the Apollo experienced a revival when it obtained landmark status in 1983. Today the theater is run by a non-profit organization and draws an estimated 1.3 million visitors each year. It continues to promote new artists through its nationally syndicated variety show, Showtime at the Apollo.

15. In 1933 Fiorello La Guardia, who would later become New York City’s Mayor, began a campaign against burlesque.  Hurtig & Seamon’s Apollo was one of many theaters that would close down. Cohen reopened the building as the 125th Street Apollo Theatre in 1934 with his partner, Morris Sussman serving as manager. Cohen and Sussman changed the format of the shows from burlesque to variety revues and redirected their In 1983, the Apollo received state and city landmark status and in 1991, Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc., was established as a private, not-for-profit organization to manage, fund and oversee programming for the Apollo Theater. Today, the Apollo, which functions under the guidance of a Board of Directors, presents concerts, performing arts, education and community outreach programs.

16. Cab Calloway Eva Jessye Marian Anderson Ethel Waters Nora D. Ray Bill Robinson