The cultural explosion known as the Harlem Renaissance, where black artists, intellectuals, writers, and musicians thrived, became a period in which African American artists reclaimed their identity and racial pride in defiance of widespread prejudice and discrimination. The formation of Harlem during this time followed relatively traditional patterns. When more blacks started moving in, the property values dropped as whites began to leave. Realtors took advantage of the declining property values within Harlem, which resulted in more blacks moving in, and eventually, emerged as the virtual capital of black America.
However, despite the overall progressive recognition of the African American population, the “dark ghetto”, coined by psychologist Kenneth Clark, “evoked a space of almost hopeless desolation, where men and women born with darker skin are condemned to live isolated behind ‘invisible walls’ built by whites with privilege and power…no one in power pays attention to the ‘cumulative ugliness’ of ‘social, political, educational, and –above all—economic colonies,’ reinforcing the lesson residents learn every day: that they are worth less than whites by every measure.” (Zukin 70-71) Harlem was, essentially, a black city located in the heart of white Manhattan.
What many people do not realize is the fact that racism was not eliminated during the Harlem Renaissance. In actuality, it was more prevalent than ever. The Ku Klux Klan (The KKK), during this movement, had over 4.5 million members by the mid-’20s. The group fed off on the fear created during the Renaissance: many whites were not used to the idea of blacks having an influence, having a voice, and so, they [the whites] panicked. Various other groups also utilized this fear to increase their membership count. Racial disparagement, torment, bigotry…all continued to prevail. For example, in 1922, Congress passed an Anti-Lynching Bill stating that “depriving any person of his life without authority of law” was a criminal offense. However, even when this bill was passed, it was never really enforced and the areas that needed it to be enforced the most, the bill had little to no effect at all—lynching and burnings still took place and before the end of 1929, the KKK had lynched more than 200 African Americans.
While this cultural movement reflected the self-confidence, militancy, and pride of the New Negro in his or her demand for equality, and it reflected the aspirations and creative genius of the talented young people of the Harlem Renaissance along with the economic aspirations of the black migrants seeking a better life in the north, ultimately Harlem failed to resolve its problems and to fulfill these dreams.
Questions to Consider:
- Does race take part in the criminal justice system?
- Why does the media only show one side of the story?
- Is racial segregation between the whites and the blacks still prevalent in Harlem to this day?
