The Art and Politics of the Harlem Renaissance

The Art and Politics of the Harlem Renaissance An online professional development seminar

GOALS Ø To deepen your understanding of the relationship between the art and politics of the Harlem Renaissance Ø To provide fresh material and ideas to strengthen teaching (Feel free to plunder the Power Point. )

FROM THE FORUM Challenges, Issues, Questions Resource identification Check the forum for a URL that provides access to a wide array of material. The image of women in the art of the Harlem Renaissance W. E. B. Du Bois and the Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance in the context of the 1920 s Prof. Janken has posted resources to the forum.

Kenneth R. Janken Professor of African and Afro-American Studies Director, Office of Experiential Education University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill National Humanities Center Fellow 2000 -01 White: The Biography of Walter White, Mr. NAACP (2003) Honorable mention in the Outstanding Book Awards from the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights in North America Rayford W. Logan and the Dilemma of the African-American Intellectual (1993)

USEFUL TEACHING STRATEGY WHEN COMBINING ARTWORKS AND TEXTS Have students illustrate texts with art. This seminar will provide an abundance of compatible texts and images. As we discuss the material, point out opportunities to use images to illustrate texts.

INTRODUCTION The Harlem Renaissance—the New Negro Renaissance— the New Negro Movement Ø Arrived on the heels of World War One and the extreme racial violence of the Red Summer of 1919; ended in the mid-1930 s during the Great Depression; Ø Re-presented African Americans as New Negroes—militant, race conscious and determined to have equality in the United States; Ø Strove to present an image and a culture that was by developed by and served blacks, not whites; Ø Sought to act as a wedge that would open up American society to a revaluation of African Americans and acceptance of them as equals; Ø Created an internal tension between developing a New Negro cultural identity that would serve the political ends of racial liberation and producing artistic works for white consumption.

The Art and Politics of the Harlem Renaissance Part 1 Militancy, race consciousness, and the New Negro movement Part 2 The debate over what was New Negro art Part 3 The Harlem Renaissance as a cultural expression of modern black identities and of solidarity with Africa and the African Diaspora.

The Art and Politics of the Harlem Renaissance Part 1 Militancy, race consciousness, and the New Negro movement

“Returning Soldiers, ” by W. E. B. Du Bois We are returning from war! The Crisis and tens of thousands of black men were drafted into a great struggle. For bleeding France and what she means and has meant and will mean to us and humanity … we gladly fought and to the last drop of blood; for America and her highest ideals, we fought in far-off hope; for the dominant southern oligarchy entrenched in Washington, we fought in bitter resignation. … But today we return! … We stand again to look America squarely in the face and call a spade. We sing: This country of ours, despite all its better souls have done and dreamed, is yet a shameful land. It lynches. … It disfranchises its own citizens. … It encourages ignorance. … It steals from us. … It insults us. … This is the country to which we Soldiers of Democracy return. This is the fatherland for which we fought! … But by the God of Heaven, we are cowards and jackasses if now that the war is over, we do not marshal every ounce of our brain and brawn to fight a sterner, longer, more unbending battle against the forces of hell in our own land. We return from fighting. We return fighting. Make way for Democracy! We saved it in France, and by the Great Jehovah, we will save it in the United States, or know the reason why. Discussion Questions Why does Du Bois list defending France as the first reason why African Americans joined the war effort? What is Du ois’s indictment of America in B this essay, and what posture does he propose African Americans assume in the post-war era?

“Chicago and Its Eight Reasons, ” by Walter White Finally, the new spirit aroused in Negroes by their war experiences enters into the problem [of the response of Chicago’s African Americans to the violence visited upon them by whites]. …These men [recently demobilized black veterans], with their new outlook on life, injected the same spirit of independence into their companions, a thing that is true of many other sections of America. One of the greatest surprises to many of those who came down to “clean out the niggers” is that these same “niggers” fought back. Colored men saw their own kind being killed, heard of many more and believed that their lives and liberty were at stake. In such a spirit most of the fighting was done. “The New Crowd Negro” political cartoon from The Messenger (1919) Discussion Questions What is “new” about the New Negro? Contrast the new political posture with the Age of Booker T. Washington.

Two Images of Benga, James Porter Oil on canvas, 1935 Discussion Question How do these pieces of art fill out your understanding of the image and character of the New Negro? Feral Benga, Richmond Barthe Bronze, 1937

“The Negro’s Friend” by Claude Mc. Kay There is no radical the Negro’s friend Who points some other than the classic road For him to follow, fighting to the end, Thinking to ease him of one half his load. … Must fifteen million blacks be gratified, That one of them can enter as a guest, A fine white house – the rest of them denied A place of decent sojourn and a rest? Oh, Segregation is not the whole sin, The Negroes need salvation from within. Discussion Questions What political direction does Claude Mc. Kay suggest that African Americans take in the fight for equality? What does the poem say about black-white relations?

THE ART AND POLITICS OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE PART 2 What was Negro art? Langston Hughes, Winold Reiss pastel board, 1925

“Enter the New Negro, ” Alain Locke Fortunately there are constructive channels opening out into which the balked social feelings of the American Negro can flow freely. …One is the consciousness of acting as the advance-guard of the African peoples in their contact with Twentieth Century civilization; the other, the sense of a mission of rehabilitating the race in world esteem from that loss of prestige for which the fate and conditions of slavery have so largely been responsible. Harlem, as we shall see, is the center of both these movements; she is the home of the Negro’s “Zionism. ” The pulse of the Negro world has begun to beat in Harlem. …As with the Jew, persecution is making the Negro international. …Our greatest rehabilitation may possibly come through such channels [i. e. political movements like those headed by Marcus Garvey and W. E. B. Du Bois], but for the present, more immediate hope rests in the revaluation by white and black alike of the Negro in terms of his artistic endowments and cultural contributions, past and prospective. It must be increasingly recognized that the Negro has already made very substantial contributions, … He now becomes a conscious contributor and lays aside the status of a beneficiary and ward for that of a collaborator and participant in American civilization. …The especially cultural recognition they win should in turn prove the key to that revaluation of the Negro which must precede or accompany considerable further betterment of race relationships. Discussion Questions Why does Locke think that art and culture is a more viable route toward racial equality than politics? Who is the target audience for the New Negro cultural production?

“The Criteria of Negro Art, ” W. E. B. Du Bois With the growing recognition of Negro artists in spite of the severe handicaps, one comforting thing is occurring to both white and black. They are whispering, “Here is a way out. Here is the real solution of the color problem. The recognition accorded to Cullen, Hughes, Fauset, White and others shows there is no real color line. Keep quiet! Don’t complain! Work! All will be well!” I will not say that already this chorus amounts to a conspiracy. …But I will say that there are today a surprising number of white people who are getting great satisfaction out of these younger Negro writers because they think it is going to stop agitation of the Negro question. …And many colored people are all too eager to follow this advice; especially those who are afraid to fight and to whom the money of philanthropists and the alluring publicity are subtle and deadly bribes. They say, “What is the use of fighting? Why not show simply what we deserve and let the reward come to us? ” … We can go on the stage; we can be just as funny as white Americans wish us to be; we can play all the sordid parts that America likes to assign to Negroes; but for anything else there is still small place for us. Discussion Question Acceptance of black art and artists by the white public is a good thing, but what problems does that acceptance present?

“The Criteria of Negro Art, ” W. E. B. Du Bois Thus all art is propaganda and ever must be, despite the wailing of the purists. I stand in utter shamelessness and say that whatever art I have for writing has been used always for propaganda for gaining the right of black folk to love and enjoy. I do not care a damn for any art that is not used for propaganda. But I do care when propaganda is confined to one side while the other is stripped and silent. … White artists themselves suffer from this narrowing of their field. They cry for freedom in dealing with Negroes because they have so little freedom in dealing with whites. … We can afford the truth. White folk today cannot. As it is now we are handing everything over to a white jury. If a colored man wants to publish a book, he has got to get a white publisher and a white newspaper to say it is great; and then you and I say so. We must come to the place where the work of art when it appears is reviewed and acclaimed by our own free and unfettered judgment. … I do not doubt that the ultimate art coming from black folk is going to be just as beautiful, and beautiful largely in the same ways, as the art that comes from white folk, or yellow, or red; but the point today is that until the art of the black folk compels recognition they will not be rated as human. Discussion Questions In what ways does racism distort the creative process and hinder artists from exposing truth? What are the roles and responsibilities of the African American artist and African American public in developing a New Negro culture? Where do you think Locke and Du Bois agree? Why, according to Du. Bois, is all art propaganda?

“The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain, ” Langston Hughes Without going outside his race, and even among the better classes with their “white” culture and conscious American manners, but still Negro enough to be different, there is sufficient matter to furnish a black artist with a lifetime of creative work. … The Negro artist works against an undertow of sharp criticism and misunderstanding from his own group and unintentional bribes from whites. “Oh, be respectable, write about nice people, show good we are, ” say the Negroes. “Be stereotyped, don’t go too far, don’t shatter our illusions about you, don’t amuse us too seriously. We will pay you, ” say the whites. … We younger artists who create now intend to express our dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too. The tom-tom cries and the tom-tom laughs. If colored people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn’t matter either. We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves. Discussion Questions According to Hughes, where should African American artists direct their attention? What are the best sources for authentic black art? What are the obstacles that black artists faced in the creative process? What do you think Hughes’s response was to Du Bois’s declaration that all art is propaganda?

Which image would meet the approval of Locke, of Du Bois, of Hughes? Why? Harlem at Night, Winold Reiss Josephine Baker in banana skirt Brown Girl after Bath, Archibald Motley, Jr. , oil on canvas, 1931 Girl in a Red Dress, Charles Alston, 1934

Which image would meet the approval of Locke, of Du Bois, of Hughes? Why? Harlem at Night, Winold Reiss Josephine Baker, Photograph George Hoyningen-Huene 1927 Saturday Night, Archibald Motley, Jr. , oil on canvas, 1935 Girl in a Red Dress, Charles Alston, 1934

“The Negro Artist and Modern Art, ” by Romare Bearden On blending ideas of Du Bois and Hughes: “Several other factors hinder the development of the Negro artist. First, we have no valid standard of criticism; secondly, foundations and societies which supposedly encourage Negro artists really hinder them; thirdly, the Negro artist has no definite ideology or social philosophy”

The Art and Politics of the Harlem Renaissance Part 3 The Harlem Renaissance as a cultural expression of modern black identities and of solidarity with Africa and the African Diaspora.

“The Negro Speaks of Rivers” Langston Hughes I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset. I've known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. Discussion Questions What claims is Langston Hughes making about the history of Africandescended people? What connections is he asserting between African Americans and Africans? What connections is he asserting between African Americans and the United States? In “Negro” in particular, how does Hughes construct a modern identity for African Americans? “Negro” Langston Hughes I am a Negro: Black as the night is black, Black like the depths of my Africa I’ve been a slave: Caesar told me to keep his door-steps clean. I brushed the boots of Washington. I’ve been a worker: Under my hand the pyramids arose. I made mortar for the Woolworth Building I’ve been a singer: All the way from Africa to Georgia I carried my sorrow songs. I made ragtime. I’ve been a victim: The Belgians cut off my hands in the Congo. They lynch me still in Mississippi I am a Negro: Black as the night is black, Black like the depths of my Africa

Aspiration, Aaron Douglas oil on canvas, 1936 Song of the Towers, Aaron Douglas oil on canvas, 1934 Discussion Questions Compare themes in Hughes’s poem “Negro” to these Aaron Douglas paintings. What, in these paintings, is ancient, what is old, and what is modern? What is the history Aaron Douglas portrays in these?

“Odyssey of Big Boy” Sterling Brown “Elevator Boy” Two Views of Langston Hughes Day-to-Day Life I got a job now Runnin’ an elevator In the Dennison Hotel in Jersey Job aint no good though. No money around. Jobs are just chances Like everything else. Done worked and loafed on such like Maybe a little luck now, jobs, Maybe not. Seen what dey is to see, Maybe a good job Done had my time wid a pint on my sometimes: hip Step out o’ the barrel, An’ a sweet gal on my knee, boy. Sweet mommer on my knee; … Two new suits an’ A woman to sleep with. An’ all dat Bog Boy axes Maybe no luck for a When time comes fo’ to go, long time. Lemme be wid John Henry, steel Only the elevators drivin’ man, Goin’ up an’ down, Lemme be wid old Jazzbo, Up an’ down, Lemme be wid ole Jazzbo. Or somebody else’s shoes Discussion Questions To shine, Or greasy pots in a Thinking not just about these three verses but about the poem in its entirety, what is the heroic quality of Big Boy’s life? dirty kitchen. I been runnin’ this How does the hardship described in “Elevator Boy” compare with the presentation of hardship in “Odyssey of Big Boy”? Elevator too long. Guess I’ll quit now. Lemme be wid Casey Jones Lemme be wid Stagolee Lemme be wid such like men When Death takes hol’ on me, When Death takes hol’ on me. …

The Janitor who Paints, Palmer Hayden oil on canvas, ca. 1937 Black Belt, Archibald Motley, Jr. oil, 1934 Discussion Questions How is race represented in these paintings? Can you pair any of the paintings with any of the ideas contained in any of the essays, poems, or short stories? , Tongues (Holy Rollers), Archibald Motley, Jr. oil on canvas, 1929 Factory Workers Romare Bearden gouache and casein on kraft paper, 1942

Final Slide. Thank You.