The 1920’s, deemed the “roaring 20’s”, were a time of extreme social change, innovation, and cultural conflict; most so for African-Americans. With the Jim Crow Laws and Segregation still in place, most blacks were still looked down upon by society. However, during this time a multitude of movements arose from the black community, such as the “Harlem Renaissance” and “Great Migration”. This creative boom and the artists who participated and emerged from the movements helped influence future black leaders and shape the African-American Race. One of the foremost black leaders at this time was Marcus Garvey. As a Jamaican immigrant, Garvey felt it was important for his fellow members of the black community to gain a better understanding of their …show more content…
This is now known as the “Great Migration”, and this movement helped to create the first large, urban black communities in the North. What drew them to these places were the economic opportunities; and many educated blacks seized the new jobs offered there. Along with this came the “Harlem renaissance”, An explosion of music, art, and literature created by African-Americans. Many of the pieces created during this time were inspired by the lives of their artist. For example, Jacob Lawrence painted pictures portraying his young life in Harlem and the struggle of black Americans at the time. Langston Hughes wrote short stories, poems, and painted colorful, realistic paintings of black life in america. Last, but certainly not least, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong founded a style of music that is now popularly practice and widely recognized as a major form of music. Duke Ellington’s band, “the Duke Ellington Orchestra”, was the house band at a trendy Harlem club, the “Cotton Club”. Citizens from all over, Including whites, came to see them perform. Another essential component of the “Harlem Renaissance” was the “New Negro” Movement. Refusing to subject to the Jim Crow Laws and demanding justice and equality were the ultimate purposes of this movement. The way they chose to combat this was