Dayna Clayton

Senior Division

The Harlem Renaissance: The Turning Point in African American Culture

Individual Website

For National History Day, I selected the topic The Harlem Renaisance for my project. The idea to do the Harlem Renaissance was suggested to me by my teacher, Dr. Romeyn. Inititally, I was going to do the project on just the Cotton Club, but then became drawn to the many other aspects of the Harlem Renaissance such as: art and literature. Being African American and a person that enjoys the art, literature, and music, it was the perfect option for me. As I learned more about the subject, I understood that it was not only about the revival of African American culture, but something much deeper. It was a rebirth of hope for equality in a world full discrimination and the introduction of racial pride. No longer were writers and black artists subtly hinting at injustice but blantantly oppossing it by displaying in an assimlation of literature, artistry, and music. I began conducting my research by searching databases that gave overviews about the Harlem Renaissance; using websites like Gale U.S. History in Context and Encyclopedia Britannica to get a sense of the background information. As I went deeper into my research, I began finding sources in the Library of Congress including: photographs, audio files, and primary sources. To find some of my other primary sources, I used Proquest to find newspaper articles. I also found the PBS website to be very beneficial and the Discovery site as well. Using these sites, I extracted what I thought to be important and incorporated them into my website for National History Day. I also found books and documentaries to be very useful in the beginning of the process as well. The documentary I used, gave the entire summary of the African Americans experience in New York from the 1600s until today. For me, it truly helped me understand the transition, from the slave trade to Harlem the black metropolis filled with a new generation of black intellectuals. The Book, Black Culture and the Harlem Renaissance was very beneficial. It helped me understand the different contributors and why they were significant. It also showed the transition from the Great Migration into the Renaissance. Out of all of the presentation mediums, I found the website to be the most useful for me. Websites allow for more clear organization, while still having personal freedom. Also with a website, you engage the viewer more with the use of audio and video. On a website I could add slide shows of photos that displayed the art work of the artists. For example, on Jacob Lawrences page, there is a slide show that shows a several pictures from The Migration Series, which included 60 different panels, which I found the Phillips Collections website. I felt that with a website, I could visualize my progress more easily than creating an exhibit or documentary. By publishing each time I add something new and filling in the tabs, I could feel that I was getting closer to accomplishing something. The Harlem Renaissance was a turning point in history for blacks in America. From a life of slavery to a life of black intellectuals, is a transition that has changed the thoughts and goals of blacks today. Yes, Harlem was a slum, with blacks that still faced economic

hardships, but no longer were they enslaved. The Renaissance displays them exercising their freedom of speech. In this new generation they could vote, contribute their ideas, and have pride in themselves, regardless of racial misconceptions.