"Harlem, New York, was a place where for the first time Negroes got out into the mainstream of the dramatic world. You had extraordinarily large dramatic movements." —A. Philip Randolph
Special Feature: Treasures from the M. Moran Weston Papers
Rarely seen images from a 1945 Negro Freedom Rally are accompanied by
video of Professor Manning Marable providing historical background on
them. A short slide show of other images from the Weston papers is also
included.
Throughout the twentieth century, Harlem has served as the home and key inspiration to generations of novelists, poets, musicians, and actors. The pace of New York City, the blend of backgrounds of the people who settled in Harlem, and the difficulties associated with living in Harlem were among the experiences that found expression in theater, fiction, and music, among other art forms.
Rhythmical Bravado Robert O'Meally, in a video interview, discusses stride piano and Harlem's other great musical traditions and why that richness couldn't have emerged anywhere else.
Splendid Developments A. Philip Randolph (1889–1979), president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car
Porters, recalls his interactions with the leaders of the Harlem
Renaissance.
You have to read Ann Petry Farah Griffin, in a video interview, remembers best-selling novelist Ann
Petry, whose work as a reporter, actress, and consumer activist in Harlem is
reflected in her rich descriptions of the neighborhood and its people.
Club Hopping With W. C. Handy Dorothy Height, the civil-rights leader, moved to Harlem in 1929. She went club hopping with W. C. Handy, and attended plays at the Lafayette
Theatre.
Promotion At A Price Casey Blake, in a multimedia presentation, reflects on the disappointments of the Harlem Renaissance. Despite the explosion of white interest in Harlem, African American culture continued to be misunderstood.
Breaking Down Barriers Langston Hughes was a pioneering writer and Columbia student. The New Yorker magazine reflected on Hughes at Columbia in a piece published after his death in 1967.
