Duke Ellington The New Negro Movement or the Harlem renaissance was a time period in which negroes fought for equal rights. “It [The Harlem Renaissance] was a time of black individualism, a time marked by a vast array of characters whose uniqueness challenged the traditional inability of white Americans to differentiate between blacks” (BrainyQuote, 3 Clement Alexander Price) In this time period negroes lived freely upon themselves . They would stand up to racism and fight for equal rights through the arts. Duke Ellington expressed his feelings, thoughts, and emotions, through his art. Through his music he tried to fight racism and promote social change in Harlem. Duke Ellington was born on April 29th, 1899 in Washington D.C. His parents were musicians so he started playing music at a young age. His mom would play the piano for him everyday and he fell in love with the music. He was inspired by the music and based his life around it. He went to Armstrong Musical Training school where he got his degree. During his time at Armstrong Duke Ellington started his first band Sextet, where he wrote his first song, “Soda Fountain Rag”. He would play at nightclubs for small amounts of money, but he did not …show more content…
He was 75. Duke Ellington left his lasting impact through his music. "Music is how I live, why I live and how I will be remembered." (BrainyQuote, 1 Duke Ellington). These were Duke Ellington's last words. Those words inspired people across the country to follow their dream and fight for what is rights, Which eventually led to equal rights for not only negroes, but all races in the United States, He left such a great impact 12,000 people attended his funeral to remember not only the great musician, but also the great man Duke Ellington. Overall Duke Ellington was an inspiration for negroes everywhere who were fighting for no racism, equal rights, and social change in the Harlem