The Harlem Renaissance

• centered around the Harlem neighborhood of New York City because of expanding "Negro" middle class
• the Apollo Theater is a symbol of the Harlem Renaissance
• characteristics of the Harlem Renaissance:
• Pan-Africanist perspective
• emphasis on blues and jazz
• new form of jazz poetry
• themes:
• influence of the expereince of slavery and emerging African-American folk traditions on black identity
• effects of institutional racism
• dilemmas inherent in performing and writing for elite white audiences
• question of conveying the experience of modern black life in the urban North