22 Unsung Harlem Renaissance Heroes Who Completely Transformed Art And Activism, But Barely Get The Credit They Deserve

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The Harlem Renaissance Project is simply a postulation of pieces named aft an creator and taste question that took spot successful the aboriginal to mid-1900s. Check retired the afloat task here.

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Many of america (if we were lucky) learned astir the the teachings of W.E.B. Du Bois successful past class, oregon work Langston Hughes' poesy arsenic portion of an English assignment. But they're conscionable 2 retired of the hundreds of Black thought leaders and artists who emerged during the Harlem Renaissance epoch of the 1920s and 1930s.

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In grant of this game-changing and often-forgotten infinitesimal successful history, get to cognize immoderate of the Harlem Renaissance pioneers you mightiness cognize precise small about.

1. As a small kid with grandparents who were small kids during the Harlem Renaissance, I grew up with Count Basie arsenic a Saturday greeting mainstay. Known arsenic one of the top bandleaders successful music, The Count Basie Orchestra appears connected countless jazz classics. Here, we spot Count Basie listening to John Coltrane connected the saxophone.

1 plays the saxophone, 1 plays the piano, and 1 leans connected the piano, smiling and engaged

2. Marcus Garvey is responsible for the phrase, "Black is beautiful." In Harlem successful 1917, helium launched the Universal Negro Improvement Association, and besides published the Negro World newspaper.

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3. Walter Francis White led the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) for 25 years. In an epoch wherever helium could person lived arsenic a achromatic man, helium embraced his mixed ancestry and was a salient civilian rights activist.

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4. Josephine Baker, though calved successful Missouri, became a celebrated entertainer successful Paris. But earlier heading overseas, she spent clip successful Harlem. She was known for her provocative dances and performing successful the nude, but her interaction was felt acold beyond the stage. She was a fierce civilian rights activist, and adjacent supported the French by being a spy for France during WWII. Remind maine to adhd her biography to my cart, stat.

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5. Paul Robeson could simply bash everything. And for that reason, helium was considered "the astir unsafe antheral successful America" during the McCarthy era. A existent American hero, Robeson was an entertainer, and athlete, a lawyer, and a fierce civilian rights advocate. He ended up connected J. Edgar Hoover's deed database erstwhile he visited Russia and said: "Here, I americium not a Negro but a quality being for the archetypal clip successful my beingness … I locomotion successful afloat quality dignity."

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6. Countee Cullen was a Harvard University-educated poet and playwright. His penning focused mostly connected celebrating Black individuality and questioning injustice.

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7. Zora Neale Hurston was a lauded writer and documentarian, famously known for her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Known arsenic the "Queen of the Harlem Renaissance," Hurston was the first Black idiosyncratic to postgraduate from Barnard, wherever she studied anthropology.

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8. Aaron Douglas, known arsenic the "Father of African American Art," is 1 of the astir lauded ocular artists of the Harlem Renaissance. His enactment was featured mostly successful the Harlem periodical, The Crisis. wherever helium was mentored by W.E.B. Du Bois. His benignant — which included African and Egyptian influences — tin inactive beryllium seen successful modern art.

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10. Louis Armstrong is known for his New Orleans sound, but helium besides passed done New York City during the Harlem Renaissance. He helped pioneer the jazz dependable of the era, infusing the scat and freestyle dependable that revolutionized modern music.

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11. Everything astir Cab Calloway's benignant personified the Harlem Renaissance era. Often dressed in a crisp zoot suit, Calloway performed astatine the storied Cotton Club during Harlem's heyday. You've astir apt heard his astir fashionable song, "Minnie the Moocher," with its unforgettable chorus, "Hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-ho."

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12. Duke Ellington was a modern euphony forefather. Aside from having a discography that spans implicit 50 years, his orchestra broke colour barriers, during a clip erstwhile Black musicians were banned from playing astatine white-only clubs and performance halls.

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13. Billie Holiday, belovedly known arsenic "Lady Day," was a treasure of the Harlem jazz scene. Her euphony is inactive celebrated today, namely her haunting song, "Strange Fruit," with a connection that inactive rings true, unfortunately, successful 2026.

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14. If you ever took a pat class, you are already acquainted with Ivie Anderson's biggest hit. She offers pb vocals connected the Duke Ellington way "It Don't Mean A Thing."

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15. Claude McKay's penning reflected the radical inequities evident some successful his location state of Jamaica and successful the US. His works see Home to Harlem, and Harlem: Negro Metropolis.

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16. James Weldon Johnson wrote "Life Ev'ry Voice and Sing," besides known arsenic the "Negro National Anthem." In summation to being a lawyer and assemblage leader, helium besides led the NAACP during the Harlem Renaissance.

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17. Jessie Fauset served arsenic the literate professional of The Crisis during the Harlem Renaissance. Thanks to her oculus for talent, she is liable for featuring the poesy of Harlem titans similar Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and galore more, who would not person been featured successful achromatic newspapers astatine the time.

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19. Archibald Motley was a salient ocular creator during the Harlem Renaissance, utilizing his creation to defy stereotypes.

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20. Bessie Smith volition ever beryllium remembered arsenic the "Empress of the Blues." Her visceral blend of blues and jazz brought the emotion, passion, hurt, and longing to her vocals that earned her that title. She performed everyplace from the Cotton Club to the Apollo. Oh, to beryllium a alert connected the wall.

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21. And Ella Fitzgerald had a rubric successful her ain right: "The First Lady of Song." Her legendary dependable made her the most fashionable jazz singer for much than fractional a century. With songs similar "At Last" and "Cheek to Cheek," her euphony lives connected successful pop culture easy with endless covers.

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22. And finally, Alain Locke is considered the Father of the Harlem Renaissance. He's wide known for the conception of the New Negro, which was the full catalyst for the movement. The philosopher besides mentored Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, arsenic good arsenic different emerging artists of the era.

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Which Harlem Renaissance gamechanger resonates with you? Leave your thoughts successful the comments!

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