Click on the links below to find brief biographical information on some of the most influential people of the Harlem Renaissance.

Activists

Carl Van Vechten

Jessie Redmon Fauset

Writers

Langston Hughes

Zora Neale Hurston

James Weldon Johnson

Artists

William H. Johnson

Lois Mailou Jones

Archibald J. Motley Jr.

Musicians

Louis Armstrong

Josephine Baker

Ella Fitzgerald

Thomas "Fats" Waller

Literature Activity | Art Activity | Music Activity

Sonnet To A Negro In Harlem
Helene Johnson

You are disdainful and magnificent--
Your perfect body and your pompous gait,
Your dark eyes flashing solemnly with hate;
Small wonder that you are incompetent
To imitate those whom you so dispise--
Your shoulders towering high above the throng,
Your head thrown back in rich, barbaric song,
Palm trees and manoes stretched before your eyes.
Let others toil and sweat for labor's sake
And wring from grasping hands their meed of gold.
Why urge ahead your supercilious feet?
Scorn will efface each footprint that you make.
I love your laughter, arrogant and bold.
You are too splendid for this city street!

"Aspects of Negro Life: A Song of the Towers" by Aaron Douglas

Literature Activity

1. Select a writer and research his/her life. Using at least three sources take organized notes about the writer's background, his/her famous works, and how he/she influenced the Harlem Renaissance. Please include a works cited page.

2. Select, read, analyze, and provide a copy of three poems by the writer that you researched above. Zora Neale Hurston wrote several short stories, please see me if you are working with her. In your analysis please provide the following information:

Name of the writer
Name of the piece of literature
Images found in the piece of literature
Emotions found in the piece of literature
Your reaction to the piece of literature
List the themes of the piece of literature

3. Imagine that you are a writer during the Harlem Renaissance and create your own poem that highlights the various themes of the time period.

Final Product
Using the material that you gathered from above, create a project that highlights the artist's accomplishments, displays the artist's work, and your original work. You should also include photographs of the artist.Below you will find a picture of the author and a link to his/her poetry and stories.

Stories by Zora Neale Hurston

Poetry by Helene Johnson

Poetry by Langston Hughes

Poetry by Claude McKay

Poetry by Jean Toomer

Poetry by James Weldon Johnson

Poetry by Arna Bontemps

Poetry by Countee Cullen

Poetry Links

The Academy of American Poets

Jazz and Poetry: 1920s

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