Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - History Other Harlem Renaissance Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was a period of cultural explosion. It began in the wake of World War One, flourished until the Great Depression, peaking in Nineteen twenty-eight a year before the beginning of the Depression. The community of Harlem was composed of mainly Negroes (not all of the black population of Harlem was of African descent, so the term African-American would be falsely used in this case) and during this time period they were still considered inferior to the whites. For this reason and other events that took place during the Harlem Renaissance, which I will discuss later in this paper, I have chosen the Athens question, “What does it mean to be a member of a community?” The Harlem Renaissance was a time period during which the black culture of New York, primarily Harlem, was involved in a movement through which, using literature and intellect, they attempted to raise pride amongst themselves and attain equal status with those that oppressed them. Some of the best-known figures and key figures of this period were Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay and Jean Toomer. The Harlem Renaissance started as a literary and intellectual movement with a mission of both race propaganda and “pure” art. Their task was to identify and articulate a community consciousness rather than overthrow existing institutions. They represented the outsiders who wanted to be a part of the main stream. As for being a part of the community they were as far as the black community. However in the bigger picture, the black community was outside of the national community, which consisted of the white race. In the two square miles of Harlem life was good. It was the ‘Roaring Twenties’ and people were happy. The black community kept to themselves but the community that they made up was a tight knit and caring one. They were all about having fun, helping one another and having pride in themselves. In terms of the black community, being part of the community meant that all people were equal and that the things they said did and stood for were no less credit worthy because of their skin color. In the larger national community the black culture fought to be part of and not subservient to the white community and the Harlem Renaissance was a way of trying to get into the mainstream. They were voicing their opinion through art first in the form of poetry and stories and then through music, painting and dance. It seemed, when viewed from a distance, as though they were slowly being accepted in to mainstream community. Harlem is located on the northern end of Manhattan island and was a predominately black area. Downtown, as it was called, was the southern end of Manhattan, the area known as New York City, and this was where the majority of the whites lived. However, at night the people from downtown would make their way north to partake in the festivities which included night clubs, cabarets and social clubs where liquor was served and live shows played for the viewers delightment. It would appear that the communities were not two separate but know one. However as one writer noted, “We haven’t made any advancement, we still occupy the same role, below the whites.” After the evenings of fun and laughter the clientele would make their way back downtown and the line would be once again visible. The only thing that had changed was that these shows and performers had become cultural icons. They were a trend, if you will. It was the thing to do for the white businessmen. Many of the important players in the Harlem Renaissance dealt with issues other than race. While the main issue that I have discussed has been black vs. white there have been other dilemmas. Many of the people that wrote and portrayed their feelings were dealing with struggles that may have not been simply about race. Homo- vs. heterosexual, American vs. foreign and other dual identities are some of the reasons behind the work of these people. They felt that they were outside of the community because of these lifestyles as well although they were not highly publicized. These works allowed them to be part of the community and to make some steps forward. It must not be forgotten though that there was some barrier broken or at least weakened by the efforts of these Renaissance heroes. They showed that they do have talents, that they are human and that they will not be denied. They never did become members of the white community but they maintained a strong black community. To be a member of the white community it was simple, don’t be black. This simple idea of skin color divided and still does in some ways. Other than their skin color the two communities were very much the same. They both looked for the same thing. Simple qualities like respect and help for one another, having fun and having pride were common amongst both communities. They were the same people just too ignorant to see the light. In the end the key to being part of a community comes down to acceptance. Bibliography: Word Count: 870
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