Category: Harlem Renaissance

The Black Capital of the twentieth century, Harlem served as a cultural nexus of black America. It was a refuge for African Americans fleeing from oppression in the South and a new home for those seeking new opportunities. Harlem was a haven, a place of self-discovery, cultural knowledge, and political activism for African Americans, especially…

Manhattan was once considered the mainstay of wealth and fortune due to the largely rich white population that resided there. The growing population in the area was a suggestion for developers to build more residential living spaces which lead to the erection of more empty buildings and not enough tenants. Over time, more and more…

The Harlem Renaissance was a movement that spoke to a range of issues and concerns like hostility, racism, and anger. Authors spent lots of time aiming to highlight them in ways like power struggles, emotions of hate/animosity towards white people, and even colorism between individuals in their own race. How many African Americans back then…

Too much knockin’ will ruin any ‘oman. He done beat huh ‘nough tuh kill three women, let ‘lone change they looks, says Elijah Mosley one of the characters discussing how Sykes Jones treats his wife Delia Jones in Zora Neale Hurstons short story, Sweat. He uses this comment to express the extent of Sykes abuse…

A persons race has always had relevance in his/her life in ways that sometimes dont necessarily make sense or are simply just racist. Two African Americans who have been impacted by their race are Brent Staples and Zara Neale Hurston. In Just Walk On By: Back Men and Public Spaces, Staples claims that black men…

Langston Hughes and the Powers That Be When it comes to poetry pushing racial freedoms, only a few have gone as far as Langston Hughes. Langston was a famous American writer and poet in the 20th century. He published many well-known works such as I, Too, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, and Let America Be…

The story Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin talks about Sonny who lives in Harlem in the 1950s. The story, is centered about Sonny who is a talented musician, lives a life full of struggles and was trapped in drug addiction which got him in jail while trying to attain success in life. The narrator, Sonnys…

In the poem Sonny’s Blues written by James Baldwin was narrated from the perspective of Sonny’s brother. The poem goes along to tell a story about an African American math teacher in 1950s Harlem, to his brother Sonny, a jazz pianist who has dealt with heroin addiction at a young age. Unlike many of the…

Drug abuse is extremely prevalent in our society today and has increased tremendously due to the controversy of whether some drugs should be legalized in our country or not. As a result, it can be argued that drug abuse is very harmful to people and should be controlled and dealt with accordingly. First, drug abuse…

Family for most people play a vital role in their life, whether it is from personal development, emotional support, or moral guidance. Family is everything. One would assume, parents are the sole contributor to the overall development of a child while that may be true, the bond of a brother or sister can be just…