Alain Leroy Locke And The Cultural Impact Of The Harlem Renaissance

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The cultural impact of the Harlem Renaissance was paramount in creating a collective shift of consciousness in America. This shift was the byproduct of the Great Migration forcing a environment for art, philosophy and religion to proliferate. Furthermore, these driving factors provided an abundance of exposure of African American culture to the rest of America particularly white America. Moreover, this environment was teeming with creativity producing great music, poetry and actors. In addition, the environment also was intellectually driven from philosophers, writers and bloomed progressive sects of religion. The Harlem Renaissance cultural movement impact rang through America and that ringing can still be heard today.

The Great Migration …show more content…

Alain Leroy Locke was an influential educator and philosopher who played an important role during the Harlem Renaissance. Furthermore, Locke believed that "realism and idealism should be combined in striking for world order." Also W.E.B. Dubois another prominent philosopher and thinker believed in equal rights for all races. Dubois says "Children learn more from what your are than what you teach," Dubois knew that creating the environment for change would mould future generation. The arguments and insight from these great thinkers challenged Americas preconditioned notions of African American culture and collapsed stereotypes. Religion helped the African American people gain their own spiritual identity and contributions to Christianity. For example, contributions from Marcus Garvey who organized the The African American Orthodox Church and Charles A Tiney who was the first African American to write and publish church hymns carved an identity and place for the African American experience in religion. Moreover, progression made for women in the spiritual arena was also taking place as Bishop Ida Robinson established the Mt Sinai Holy Church of America the first Pentecostal sect headed by all female pastors. Ultimately, the contribution of ideas and religion unique to African American experiences and expression challenged the social structure intellectually and had an profound impact on the social change that was taking place during the Harlem