Harlem Renaissance- Langston Hughes

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement which centered around the African Americans in Harlem, NYC. This was an amazing time for this group of people during the 1920's to 1930's because it gave them a chance to express themselves in unique, creative, and talented ways, which opened the world to a whole new form of art, music, dance, and poetry. African Americans began to be viewed as performers and their talents were being portrayed in a powerful way that changed history and has had a lasting effect on the world. A new respect for this group of people began to grow, which was a nice change from being viewed solely as laborers and slaves. This video captured all of this for me. These were the thoughts that were running through my head as I watched it. The video showed Halem and significant locations in Harlem, such as the Apollo Theatre. I pictured how exciting and energized the streets of Harlem were back then with all of the bright lights, music, and entertainment happening into the late hours of the night. This was illustrated with the Blues singer and how he went to bed late with the Blues echoing in his head. "He slept like a rock for a man that's dead" makes me think of how the blues changed this singer and made him feel more fulfilled in life, which made him sleep so well. The man that was dead may symbolize who he was before he began to sing the blues and how that man no longer exists. I remember bringing a group of foster kids (teenagers) to the Apollo Theatre one night and it was a powerful experience. This cultural movement has left a strong impact and lasting effect on us because the music, art, literature, and dance from those times are still greatly appreciated today. The video portrayed the music, dancing, lights on the streets of Harlem, the Apollo, Lenox Ave., and many other important sites in Harlem. The words being read by the speaker continued to emphasize the connection between what we were seeing with the Blacks/Negros and kept repeating the connection with this ethnic group, "Ebony hands on ivory keys; black man's soul; negro sing; lazy sway of the negro. The difference that this cultural movement had on African Americans and how the world viewed them was vividly apparent in this video. The Life of Langston Hughes on www.youtube.com strongly emphasizes this, as well, through music and video. The quote by Langston Hughes "Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly" is a beautiful way to sum up what happened during this time period.