History

The Harlem Renaissance period was when the African Americans and Africans struggled with the post-war effects and economic depression. The African Americans moved to the northern parts hoping to find peace and happiness. However, prejudice, segregation, and scarce economic opportunities still existed, forcing African Americans to find refuge in art (Warnes, 2021). The African Americans shared talent and artistic skills. Through the explosion of African American art, Locke established the movement of the " new negro". This indicated that African Americans were ready to leave the " old negro" ways, such as prejudice, racial segregation, and poor working conditions. The Harlem Renaissance marked the beginning of working towards better conditions, advocating for dignity, and ending blind acceptance. The Negros used their talents and artistic skills to express themselves and embrace their culture and color, leading to a celebratory period as the black Americans reconnected with their heritage once more (Warnes, 2021). In his book, " the new negro" Locke uses a compilation of dissertations, poetic works, and fiction to describe the Harlem Renaissance period and the revolution of the black artists, a period where black Americans grew socially, intellectually, and culturally. The Harlem renaissance was characterized by self-expression and degrading of the long-standing prejudices. Hughes utilized the ideas in Locke's definition of the " new negro" in his compilations, such as " the negro speaks of rivers," and " the weary blues."