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Ahistoricaloverview

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Priorto19200Post-CivilWar:wavesofSouth-to-Northimmigration

0 especiallyafterPlessyv.Ferguson(1896)0AfricanAmericanswerealreadylivinginNYC:

0 Mid-1800s:SoHoarea0 Late1800s:GreenwichVillage0 1890s:West20sand30s0 1900s:West50s,beginmoveintoHarlem

0Harlemin1900:0 Overzealoushousingdevelopment(forwhiteworkers) 0 Subwayhasntfullyarrived,especiallyontheeastside 0 African-Americanmigrationbeginsontheeastside,moveswest0 From1900-1920,thenumberofblackslivinginHarlemdoubles

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Harlemin1920

OnlineResources

0TheHarlemRenaissance:AnOverview

0DigitalHarlem

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Harlemin19200 Demographics

0 1920:152,467peopleofAfricandescentlivinginNYC.39,233borninNYState,30,436fromoutsideUS(primarilyCaribbean),and78,242fromotherstates(mostlySouthern).

0 1920-1925:approx.50,000morearrivefromtheSouth

0 Quicklyovercrowded:upto3xasmanypeopleinthesamespacewhencomparedtojustafewdecadesprior

0 aracecapital:BlackMecca0 Aspacefor0 newopportunityandimprovement0 intellectualandaestheticexpansion0 culturalsolidiication

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Segregationin1920sHarlem0 Irrationaldistinctionsintermsofemployment:

0 one-droprule0 Passingisageneralculturalphenomenonsoistherejectionthereof

0 colorlineswithinthecolorline0 Aswhitesdiscriminateagainstblacksbybeingunabletoseethemasreal(canonlyseestereotypes),thesamethinghappensbetweenlighter-skinnedanddarker-skinnedAfricanAmericans

0 Womenaredoublydiscriminatedagainst:0 nopositivehealthyimagesinpopular

culturenotconsideredsocietysidealofbeauty

0 stillseenassexuallyindiscriminate(thelegacyofslavery)0 womenofmixedheritagestillseenasparticularlysexuallyexotic(legacyofthetragicmulattocharacterofthe1800s)

ANegroworkermaynotbeastreetorsubwayconductorbecauseofthepossibilityofpublicobjectiontocontactbuthemaybeaticketchopper.Hemaynotbeamoneychangerinasubwaystationbecause

honestyisrequiredyethemaybeentrusted,asamessenger,withthousandsofdollarsdaily.Hemaynotsellgoodsoveracounterbuthemaydeliverthegoodsaftertheyhavebeensold.Hemaybeaporterinchargeofasleepingcarwithoutaconductor,butneveraconductor;hemaybeapolicemanbutnotaBireman;alinotyper,butnotamotionpictureoperator;aglassannealer,butnotaglassblower;adeckhand,butnotasailor.

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Thecitywithinacity0safehaven0voluntarysegregation0Harlemisamodernghetto.True,thatisacontradiction

interms,butprejudicehasringedthisgrouparound

withinvisiblelinesandbars.Withinthebarsyouwill

Bindasmallcity,self-sufBicient,completeinitselfariot

ofcolorandpersonality,amedleyofsongandtears,a

canvasofbrownsandgoldsandBlamingreds.Andyet

bound.(EuniceHunton)

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African-AmericanPoliceman,HarlemCa.1915

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Open-AirReligiousMeeting,HarlemCa.1915

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HarlemStreetsCa.1920

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AfricanAmericansonRaceinthe

1920s0 Raceasaglobalidea

0 WestIndianshadhistoricallyplayedabigroleinculturaldevelopment0 CulturaldividebetweenSouthernmigrantsandCaribbeanimmigrants0 ThequestionofAfrica:howtorelatetothatlandanditspeoples

0 ReestablishinganAfrican-Americanpast0 Schomburg:reclaimedbackground0 Howtoixthesocialandeconomicdamageofslavery?

0 Eachoneteachoneidea(startsduringslavery,re:reading)0 Beingabreakthroughperson,airst,doesntguaranteeasustainedfutureforothers(willtherebeasecond?)

0 BookerT.Washingtonindustrialeducation/skillsdevelopment0 W.E.B.DuBoisTalentedTenth:(essay,1903)1in10blackmenmaybecomeleaders.Shouldhaveaclassical(notindustrial)educationinordertoensurethattheydo.

0 MarcusGarvey,BacktoAfricamovement.ReuniteallpeopleofAfricanancestryintoonecommunitywithoneabsolutegovernment

0 Art,Music,Performance:ameansofagitatingforequality,progress(ex:PaulRobeson)0 Bye&Bye(withLawrenceBrown;1925)0 SwingLow,SweetChariot (1933)0 OnplayingOthello(1943)

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Jazz0Divisivenewsound

0 asculturallydisruptiveasModernismwas 0 musicallyfragmented,drawsuponprimitivism

0 Prohibition+segregationresultsinsomeverystrangecombinations:0 CottonClub:African-Americanperformers,whitepatrons

0GoingtojazzclubsinHarlemwasthehipthingtodoedgy0 1stuniqueAmericanmusicalsoundforexport

0 RootsinAfrican-Americanfolkculture,CreolecultureofNewOrleans,citysounds

0 Risqu,explicitlysexual0 Rogers:Musicallyjazzhasagreatfuture.Itisrapidlybeing

sublimated.

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