Harlem Renaissance

On April 15, 1894, Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her parents and brother had died by the time Smith was nine, leaving her sister Viola as the caretaker. Therefore, Smith had a "wretched childhood" and never received an…

The Harlem Renaissance was a period of flourishing arts, with New York City's Harlem neighborhood offering African-American artists a place to freely express themselves artistically, intellectually, and politically. Iconic figures,…

William James "Count" Basie was born in Red Bank, New Jersey in August 1904. Both of his parents played instruments: his dad on mellophone, his mom on piano. He dreamt of traveling, heavily inspired by touring carnivals. However, he spent…

On April 29, 1899, Edward Kennedy Ellington was born in Washington D.C.. Both of his parents were musicians, and so Ellington began his piano studies at the age of seven. Due to his easygoing nature, his friends began calling him "Duke." …

Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was born on Christmas Day, 1907 in Rochester, living on Sycamore Street. His mother was a teacher and church organist and his father was a lawyer. When Calloway was 11, they moved to Baltimore. After he was caught…

The Harlem Renaissance was responsible for allowing African-Americans to focus on their past, as well as develop a unique identity for themselves, thus creating a culture within a culture. It brought people closer to their roots, and…

At the start of the twentieth century, many Black Americans, facing racism and discrimination across the country, moved to a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan: Harlem. This neighborhood became a cultural center in the early 1900's, fully…

Looking back into history, the 1920s was a time marked by intense racial and sexual discrimination. In the South, Jim Crow laws were in full effect, leaving African-Americans as second class citizens. Throughout the country, KKK membership…

In honor of Black History Month, we take a dive into the pivotal people, places, and events that have kept lasting impressions on the culture of America. The Harlem Renaissance was one of the monumental events in history that altered the…

Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" is a book that I will never forget. The heart-wrenching narrative of Cudjo Lewis, the only living survivor of the transatlantic slave trade at the time of its writing in 1931, offered a…