Writers of the Harlem Renaissance
This presentation is part of a free public education series titled Zoomtime Knowledge, hosted by the James Madison University Lifelong Learning Institute. Learn more at www.jmu.edu/lli.
(Original recording date: May 25, 2021)
Guest Presenter: Dr. Vanessa Rouillon, Assistant Professor of Writing and Rhetoric at JMU
The Harlem Renaissance was a powerful cultural and artistic movement that lasted from the end of World War I to the mid-1930s. Its origins lie in the Great Migration (1916-1970) during which millions of African Americans migrated from the South to the North to flee economic exploitation and harsh segregationist laws.
The more populous urban centers to the North offered better employment prospects, education, housing, and freedom of expression through the arts. Harlem would serve as the symbolic capital of this cultural awakening, perhaps best known for its literary and performing arts.
Through their artistic energy, experimentation, and innovation, writers of this period created the most influential African American literary history movement. Their writings examined and celebrated black life and experience while helping reclaim black identity and pride amid widespread discrimination.
In this presentation, Dr. Vanessa Rouillon discusses some of the era’s most important literary figures, their landmark achievements, and their lasting influence on the American literary landscape.
Featured Presenter Bio:
Vanessa Rouillon is an Assistant Professor of Writing and Rhetoric at JMU. She holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL; an MA degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (Illinois); and an MA in Economics (Georgetown University). Her research examines African American citizenship efforts during the first half of the twentieth century.
source
![14 Books by Black Authors To Explore![MalcolmX, Afeni Shakur, Tupac Shakur, Angela Davis,etc.[Part2]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q5ZwTHHcjfo/maxresdefault.jpg "14 Books by Black Authors To Explore![MalcolmX, Afeni Shakur, Tupac Shakur, Angela Davis,etc.[Part2]")
"When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to Read more
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. lived with the threat of death every day. He regularly received threats and was Read more
Martin Luther King Jr. Recites Langston Hughes' poem: "Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal Read more
Talking Bout The Blues Video series African American Folklorist, Writers and the Blues. This series highlights African American writers, folklorists, Read more
Karen's video @Runwright Reads: https://youtu.be/IUz1lHtXBXA Demand justice for Breonna Taylor: https://www.change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylor?signed=true Beloved / Toni Morrison The History of Mary Prince Read more
It has been a quarter of a century and we're still having this debate. http://instagram.com/l3ritter http://instagram.com/brzndr http://instagram.com/auntmuffin source
Harlem, New York City.. a neighborhood synonymous with African-American History & Culture.. join my good friend Evan, a Harlem native, Read more
A clip from an interview with Martin Luther King Jr. in which he discusses the reality of church segregation which Read more
The Daily Show salutes legendary black leaders Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Aretha Franklin and Franklin from Read more
Part two of our look into the Black Writers Conference at the Zion Centre in Hulme, 2012. source
Author, Screenwriter, and Poet Tetisheri Moniz gets intimate and personal as you get a glimpse into her life and her Read more
In 1973, a ground-breaking film, Joe Bullet, was screened - for the very first time - at the Eyethu Cinema Read more