The legacy of the Harlem Renaissance has often been equated with setting the foundation of the Civil Rights Movement. However, this investigation will focus on the extent of how the Harlem Renaissance was the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. The Harlem Renaissance was a culturally transforming movement that brought forth a new sense of pride and determination within African Americans throughout the United States. This new-found determination unlocked a commitment for equality. The promotion of equality and the perusement to break free from morals that reinforce racist beliefs throughout this time period can be proved in the art and teachings.
To start, one has to understand how a movement begins- with ideas and people. The Harlem
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Through using his position as editor of the newspaper, The Crisis, Du Bois would purposefully draw attention to the cruel practice of lynching and would even push for a nationwide legistlation that would outlaw the vile killings. In a November, 1922 edition of The Crisis Du Bois wrote, “The nation that fails to destroy lawlessness will be destroyed by it. Save us from this evil fate” (Du Bois, 8). Du Bois called out the United States for their failure to protect and provide civil rights for their citizens because just a mere ten months prior an anti-lynching bill had just …show more content…
Nonetheless, the “New Negro” is some that can be characterized by their new and innovative way of thinking during this time period. Typically, the “New Negro” is one who was outspoken in advocacy towards Jim Crow laws and racial segregation. The generation of the Harlem Renaissance spoke truth, and spoke it loudly when criticizing the social standards and treatment of Black people in America (Locke, 47). Especially through art, racial justice is brought forth and being seen. The art of the Harlem Renaissance can be interpreted as a fight for civil rights; one writer in particular is Langston Hughes. An example of a fight for civil rights can be found in the poem, “I, Too” by Langston Hughes, “I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother…Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed– I, too, am America ''. This idea of an America being ashamed for what they have done is completely brand-new and is culturally reshaping America (Hutchinson,