BLACK RENAISSANCE POLITICS:
DEVELOPING IDEOLOGIES
The Harlem Renaissance, a flowering of literature and other arts in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s, has long been considered by many to be the high point in African-American culture. In truth however the Harlem Renaissance extended further than Harlem. And what is more, it was a flowering not only of the arts, but also of black identity and politics. |
In the United States the short moment of Black political power gained during Reconstruction was cut short by a tide of anti-black sentiment. This manifested itself in black disfranchisement, Black Codes and Jim Crow laws, and seemingly ceaseless violence directed towards America's former slaves. To survice this onslaught, black people through out the United States developed various ideologies and organizations. These included the NAACP, Marcus Garvey's UNIA and even the Nation of Islam. Though at times disimilar in their approach, these groups are in essence seeking the same thing: a means by which black people can empower themselves and break the grip of white domination around them. These individuals, organizations and ideologies would lay the groundwork for many of the later struggles for freedom in America and beyond. |
Booker T. Washington