Harlem Renaissance

Harlem Renaissance

An intellectual, social, and artistic explosion of African American culture centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City in the 1920s, expressed through paintings, music, dance, theater, and literature.

Segregation

The enforced separation of different racial groups, often leading to discrimination and inequality.

Prohibition

The nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933.

Great Migration

The movement of over 6 million African Americans from the rural South to the urban North, especially to New York City, in search of economic opportunities and social freedom.

Civil Rights Movement

A struggle for social justice and equality, mainly for African Americans, that took place primarily during the 1950s and 1960s.

Langston Hughes

A notable author and poet, known as the founding father of the Harlem Renaissance.

Claude McKay

A notable author and poet who played a significant role in the Harlem Renaissance, known for his works addressing social and political concerns.

Zora Neale Hurston

A notable author and anthropologist who made significant contributions to the Harlem Renaissance, known for her literary works reflecting the African American experience.

Louis Armstrong

A notable musician and jazz trumpeter, recognized for his influential contributions to jazz music during the Harlem Renaissance.

Billie Holiday

A notable jazz and blues singer, known for her emotive and distinctive vocal style, and her impact on the music scene during the Harlem Renaissance.

Cab Calloway

An American jazz singer and dancer, known for his scat singing and headlining at the Cotton Club, and for his song 'Minnie the Moocher', the first single by an African American to sell a million records.

Duke Ellington

A notable musician and composer, recognized for his significant contributions to jazz music and his role in the Harlem Renaissance.

Cotton Club

A New York night club operating during Prohibition, known for its performances featuring African American artists, but was a whites-only establishment, perpetuating negative stereotypes.