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Political Thought in the Harlem Renaissance: Crash Course Black American History #27

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Arts and Letters of the Harlem Renaissance: Crash Course Black American History #26

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This is the reading we will complete in class

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Encyclopedia Article: The Harlem Renaissance

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Encyclopedia Article: The Harlem Renaissance

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A time of intense creativity that took place in the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance was a celebration of African American heritage. In Harlem, a Black neighborhood in New York City, a talented and determined group of writers decided to use their work to express pride in being African American.

Encouraged by scholar Alain Locke, poets such as Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes wrote about the Black experience; Jean Toomer penned stories about everyday life; and Claude McKay published a best-selling novel about a Black soldier returning home. These were only some of the writers who were busy during the Harlem Renaissance. Jazz music, though not born in Harlem, was also flourishing at the time and it, too, drew the public's attention to the richness of African American culture. Before this renaissance, or rebirth, African American culture had been unknown to most Americans.

Although it is remembered primarily as a literary movement, the Harlem Renaissance was a period of intense creativity in music and the visual arts as well. Outside of literature, artists such as Henry Ossawa Tanner and Aaron Douglas and performers such as Paul Robeson and Josephine Baker made their mark as well.

In 1929 the onset of the Great Depression, a 10-year period of severe economic hardship, caused the Harlem group of writers to scatter. But the spirit of the movement was carried on by later writers, including Zora Neale Hurston.

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A time of intense creativity that took place in the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance was a celebration of African American heritage. In Harlem, a Black neighborhood in New York City, a talented and determined group of writers decided to use their work to express pride in being African American.

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National Museum of African American History and Culture

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A New African American Identity: The Harlem Renaissance

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Between the end of World War I and the mid-1930s, African Americans produced one of the most significant eras of cultural expression in the nation’s history—the Harlem Renaissance.

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Discover how the music, art, and literature of the Harlem Renaissance continue to inspire and entertain the world.

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Harlem in the 1920s | The African Americans | PBS LearningMedia

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Explore how in the 1920s, New York City’s Harlem neighborhood evolved from a white middle class community into the center of an African American cultural movement, known as the Harlem Renaissance, in this video from The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross.

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Read the information article from Common Lit and test yourself using the attached quiz material. This is not graded, but a chance for you to do some self-discovery. Send me an email and let me know how you did on the quiz.

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Many of Grimes's books reflect what her life was like growing up as an African American girl in New York City in the 1960s. She published her first book, Growin', in 1977. Growin' is about a girl dealing with the death of her father. Jazmin's Notebook (1998) focuses on an African American teenager in the 1960s who is determined to use her gift of writing to create a bright future for herself. Bronx Masquerade, written in 18 voices, celebrates the power of poetry.

Grimes has also written many books about historical African American figures. Malcolm X: A Force for Change (1992) is a biography about Malcolm X, the influential political and religious leader. Talkin' About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman (2002) celebrates the life of Bessie Coleman, the first African American female pilot. Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope (2008) is a best-selling biography of the former president.

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Nikki Grimes is an American author and poet. She has written dozens of books for children and young adults, many of them in verse. Much of her work revolves around the...

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Nikki Grimes was born in Harlem, but grew up in many different parts of New York. As a foster child from a broken home, she moved from place to place, always saying goodbye to new friends. Reading and writing became her survival tools.

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Nikki Grimes on Nikki Grimes *from her own author website*

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Nikki Grimes on Nikki Grimes *from her own author website*

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Historically Speaking I was born on Octo­ber 20, 1950, to Ber­nice and James Grimes. As befits a poet of African-Amer­i­can descent, I was born in Harlem, home of the Harlem Renais­sance. When I was 13, I would give my first pub­lic poet­ry read­ing at the Coun­tee Cullen Library, one block away from Harlem Hos­pi­tal, where […]

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Videos of Nikki Grimes reading her work 

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Videos of Nikki Grimes reading her work 

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Nikki’s Jam, the Videos What’s New? https://vimeo.com/872105180/defa91b7b6?share=copy Nik­ki Grimes is inter­viewed about banned books by Joy Reid on The Rei­d­Out on MSNBC. Nik­ki Grimes record­ed this video about banned books for Radio France. https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/411425156/c258d60007 Nik­ki intro­duces her pic­ture book, South­west Sun­rise, which is illus­trat­ed by Wen­dell Minor. Poems Out Loud https://www.youtube.com/embed/DEPiiCGkV4U Nik­ki reads “Jabari Unmasked” from One Last Word, one of […]

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Nikki Grimes dabbles in watercolors and collage (she created one of the illustrations for One Last Word!), she crafts handmade books, cards and beaded jewelry, is a textile artist, and once sang, danced and acted her way down the east coast of China. Her primary passion, though, is writing books for children and young adults. Her complete bibliography of trade and mass market books number more than 106. Her trade titles include historical fiction, biographies, graphic novels, chapter books, and novels in prose. However, poetry and novels-in-verse are her genres of choice. A bestselling author, Grimes was inducted into the Black Authors Hall of Fame in 2023, is the recipient of the Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award for significant contributions to young adult literature, the 2017 Children's Literature Legacy Award, the 2016 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, and the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Other awards include both a Sibert and a Printz Honor for Ordinary Hazards, her memoir. She received the Coretta Scott King Award for Bronx Masquerade; CSK Honors for Jazmin's Notebook, Talkin' About Bessie, Dark Sons, The Road to Paris, and Words With Wings; the NAACP Image Award for New York Times Bestseller Barack Obama:Son of Promise, Child of Hope; The Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry; Arnold Adoff Poetry Award for One Last Word; Claudia Lewis Poetry Award; two Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Awards; two Boston Globe-Horn Book Honors; Horn Book Fanfare for Talkin' About Bessie; The Horace Mann Upstanders Book Award; the VOYA Non-Fiction Honor; The Lion & The Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry; International Youth Library White Ravens List; ALA Notables for What is Goodbye? and Words With Wings; Notable Books for a Global Society, and been recognized with numerous awards for her body of work. Most notably, she was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. The novel Growin' marked Grimes' entry into children's literature, followed by Something on My Mind-her first book of poetry-A Dime a Dozen, From A Child's Heart. Her novels in verse are close to her heart, and include Words Wiith Wings, Garvey's Choice-a novel in tanka poems-A Girl Named Mister, Dark Sons, and Planet Middle School. Other popular works include Aneesa Lee & The Weaver's Gift, Chasing Freedom, the Dyamonde Daniel chapter book series, the beloved Meet Danitra Brown, Wild, Wild Hair, and Welcome Precious. A much anthologized poet, her own works include the Golden Shovel poetry collections, One Last Word and Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance, both for middle grades. Her poetry picture books include Pocketful of Poems, Poems in the Attic, Thanks a Million, When Daddy Prays, Southwest Sunrise, The Watcher, A Walk in the Woods, and Lullaby for the King. Here joyful books for toddlers, Bedtime for Sweet Creatures, Off to See the Sea, and Playtime for Restless Rascals, all illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon, are popular additions to her catalog. Glory in the Margins:Poems for the Pulpit, and its sequel, Glory, Too (Jan. 2025) are works for adults. In addition to her books, Grimes has written articles for such magazines as Essence, Horn Book, Today's Christian Woman, Book Links, English Journal, and Image: Journal of Arts & Religion, among others. Her work has been featured on NPR. Those who follow her on social media know that Grimes is also a photographer and avid gardener with a special penchant for roses. They also know that a new poem is apt to pop up on her wall at any given time, especially if something heavy is on her heart, usually in response to a report of social injustice. Social justice is one of the themes readers find in books written by Grimes, often set against an urban landscape. Her themes, though, are wide-ranging: bullying, friendship, foster care, forgiveness, gratitude, empathy, identity, mental illness, loss, sexual assault-all find a place in her work. Whether the themes are light or heavy, the consistent thread of hope, in stories laced with humor, are hallmarks of books written by Nikki Grimes. Her forthcoming titles to watch for are A Cup of Quiet, (Bloomsbury, April 2025) illustrated by Cathy Ann Johnson, and Stronger Than with co-Author Stacy Wells, (HeartDrum, 2026) illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Watch for new additions to her Dyamonde Daniel chapter book series in 2025, as well! Check the bibliography on her website for a full listing.
Read full bio

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Nikki Grimes: books, biography, latest update

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Follow Nikki Grimes and explore their bibliography from Amazon's Nikki Grimes Author Page.