Experiences of African American People in North America

Topic

A look at the influence of the Harlem Renaissance on African Americans’ expression, creativity, and intellectual gift.

Important Information

Chapter title: The Harlem Renaissance

Chapter author: Farah Jasmine Griffin

Annotated Bibliography

Smethurst, James Edward. The African American Roots Of Modernism: From Reconstruction to the Harlem Renaissance (The John Hope Franklin Series in African American History and Culture). University of North Carolina Press, 2011.

The author of the text is James Smethurst. James is a lecturer and a writer whose special interest is on African American literature, culture, and history, focusing on cultural and political radicalism. He has received a B. A in arts and M.A in arts from various universities. The source is primary, credible, and scholarly because it discusses how the Harlem Renaissance contributed to the modernism of African American roots. Besides, it is written by a credible person with intense knowledge of the history of African Americans. Drawing from John Hope Franklin Series main argument of the book is how the Harlem Renaissance movement contributed to the modern culture of African Americans. Some of the major topics covered are; artistic and intellectual responses of African American writers, poetry, the performance of black culture, and the Jim Crow period. If someone asked about what the book is about, I would say it is about how the Harlem Renaissance contributed to the modernism of African American artistic culture. I will use it to discuss how the movement shaped African American art culture.

Azmi, M N L, R K Chelihi, and K Nouri. “Art As A Vehicle For Social Change: The Harlem Renaissance.” Kne Social Sciences 3, no. 4 (2018): 575.

            The authors of the article are Azmi, Shelihi, and Nouri. They are expert writers in the field of social sciences, with a special focus on social change. It is a secondary source that draws insights from the Harlem Renaissance literature to discuss social change. The article is credible because it was published in a peer-reviewed social sciences journal. It is also scholarly because it draws knowledge from various academic sources and peer-reviewed journals. The main argument and point of the authors are that art, started and reinforced by the Harlem Renaissance movement, is a tool or vehicle for social change. It covers topics such as; rights of the black community, social change, race and culture, and the establishment of African American artists, writers, and intellectuals. It draws examples from Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon to emphasize the impact of Harlem. If someone asked what the article is about, I would say it is about how art can be used as a tool for social change, where writers, artists, intellectuals can use their power to bring out better communities, as witnessed during the Harlem Renaissance era. I will use it in my final project to explain the impact of the movement on the creativity and expression of artists in fostering social change.

Lewis, Jone Johnson. “African American Women Dreaming In Color: The Harlem Renaissance.” Thoughtco, Last modified 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/harlem-renaissance-women-3529258

            This is a secondary source article written by Jone Johnson Lewis. She is a women’s history writer, a former member of the humanist movement, and has been involved in women’s movements since the 1960s. The source is credible and scholarly because it is published on a website that relies on expert-created education content. Besides, the content was updated in 2019, making it credible. The source’s main point is to show the power of women in the Harlem Renaissance movement and how they contributed to bringing the black culture into the limelight. It discusses topics such as the flowering of the Harlem Renaissance movement, women involved and their individual contributions, the end of the Renaissance, and its rediscovery. I will use the source to discuss the position of women during the Harlem Renaissance era and how their contributions impacted the African American community.

Bibliography

Azmi, M N L, R K Chelihi, and K Nouri. “Art As A Vehicle For Social Change: The Harlem Renaissance.” Kne Social Sciences 3, no. 4 (2018): 575. doi:10.18502/kss.v3i4.1967.

Lewis, Jone Johnson. “African American Women Dreaming In Color: The Harlem Renaissance.” Thoughtco, Last modified 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/harlem-renaissance-women-3529258.

Smethurst, James Edward. The African American Roots Of Modernism: From Reconstruction To The Harlem Renaissance (The John Hope Franklin Series In African American History And Culture). University of North Carolina Press, 2011.