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The lyrics for the song "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong

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This song is one of Louis Armstrong's most popular songs. This is a solo single, where Louis sings about how wonderful the world can be and why it is wonderful. Despite all the negativity that African Americans faced during the time this was written, Louis Armstrong was focusing on the universally  positive aspects of the world. Some positive things in the world he mentions are children and watching them grow older, flowers blooming, the colors of the rainbow, etc. The message is timeless and so is the song.

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Harlem Renaissance Figure: Louis Armstrong 

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Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, and died on July 6, 1971. He is regarded as the first great jazz soloist. He was one of the most popular artists from the Harlem Renaissance and is music nis still listened to today. He played the trumpet, and he played with many orchestras and bands throughout his life as well. He married a dancer from the Cotton Club, somewhere he would perform often. Armstrong even stared in movies and did international tours, which was huge for an African American man at that time.

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Poem, "I, Too, Sing America", by Langston Hughes

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This poem by Langston Hughes represents the Harlem Renaissance in a beautiful way. The speaker in this poem is an African American man that does not like the way he is excluded from society. Although, he has hope that in the future he will be included in society, but not just included, he dreams of being accepted and appreciated.  This perfectly relates to the Harlem Renaissance because this was one of the first times in history where African American artists had control over their art, and were appreciated in American culture.

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Harlem Renaissance Figure: Langston Hughes

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Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1901, and died on May 22, 1967. He was the most famous poet out of Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance and wrote about the fight for racial equality, highlighted the concerns and challenges that African Americans faced in America at that time, and he wrote about the unique ways the African American experience was different than the rest of white America's experience.

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Bessie Smith was born on April 15, 1894, and died on September 26, 1937. Bessie Smith was one of the most important and notable blues vocalists. She did vocals for jazz music too, but she was known for popularizing blues. She was signed to Colombia Records after touring from tent shows, to bars, to theaters. Also, she made around 160 songs. She was also accompanied by some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time.

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Palmer Hayden: “The Janitor Who Paints” (1937)

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This painting called “The Janitor Who Paints” was created by Palmer Hayden. It’s known as somewhat of a "protest painting” as Hayden said. This piece was inspired by his friend Cloyd Boykin. Boykin was an artist, who was supporting himself as a janitor. His friend was always known as a janitor, never an artist, which is what sparked Hayden to paint this piece. Within the painting you see a man painting, with his paint palette and brush, representing his dream of becoming an artist. In the background you see a trash can, broom, duster, and other miscellaneous objects representing his other profession and his cramped apartment. The janitor is somewhat seen as the main representation of the issues that lied within America at the time. He dreams of becoming a renown artist, and practices his craft, but he is just an average man with an average life. So, because of his familial and daily responsibilities, on top of his skin color, he probably won't ever get the opportunity to receive the recognition he seeks, and be seen as an artist.

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Harlem Renaissance Figure: Archibald Motley

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Archibald Motley was born on October 7, 1891, and died on January 16, 1981. Motley was an African American artist that came to his prominence during the Harlem Renaissance. He was best known for his art work in which he painted depictions of African American social life, and jazz culture in vibrant scenery.

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Harlem Renaissance Figure: Palmer Hayden

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Palmer Hayden was born on January 15, 1890, and died on February 18, 1973. Hayden was an African American painter who’s art came to light during the Harlem Renaissance. He’s best known for his vivid depictions of the every day life in Harlem.

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This painting called “Hot Rhythm” was created by Archibald Motley. This is a typical painting from the Harlem Renaissance that depicts the jazz age, which was Motleys favorite. In this painting you can Motley uses bright colors to inject the dancers and band full of energy, rhythm, and liveliness, all within a jazz concert taking place during the Harlem Renaissance.

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This painting, "Black Belt", is a piece of Archibald Motleys artwork, presenting street life in Bronzeville, Chicago. Motley created many paintings depicting the new African American urban lifestyle from the perspective of many black people including himself. Before the Harlem Renaissance, towns like Brownzeville were not really known by acknowledge by other people, outside of African Americans and some people in Chicago, and it was not portrayed in the media or art either. Although, after the Harlem Renaissance, Bronzeville was known for its entertainment such as blues, dancing, jazz, and theatre. The community was more popular than ever, and was being represented in art, music, and other media during the Renaissance. Also, the community opened its doors to a wide diversity of people during the Harlem Renaissance.

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This painting is called “This is Harlem” created by Jacob Lawrence. Within this image of Harlem, Lawrence portrayed a thriving community with vibrant colors, based on the urban life he was experiencing. Also, a majority of people seem to be moving, or going somewhere, could be a representation of the Great Migration, which was a topic Lawrence frequently painted about.

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Harlem Renaissance Figure: W.E.B Du Bois

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W.E.B. Du Bois was born on February 23, 1868, and died on August 27, 1963. W.E.B. Du Bios was a very influential African American from the Harlem Renaissance, whose goal was to bring equality to all members of society. He was the first African American man to graduate with a doctorate from Harvard, and he also helped create the NAACP. Du Bios’ role in the organization was as an editor for the organization’s monthly magazine, but still, W.E.B. Du Bios was the most widely read spokesman for civil rights for a period of more than 30 years.

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Picture of the Nation Association for the Advancement of Colored People

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The NAACP, or the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was founded in 1909, but gained popularity during the Harlem Renaissance. W.E.B. Du Bois helped create the organization. The organizations main goal was to push towards equality and to push against racism. The organization would also go on to help lead the African American struggle in fighting injustice and gaining rights during the Civil Rights movement, thus making it a very significant and influential organization.

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Harlem Renaissance Figure: Jacob Lawrence

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Jacob Lawrence born September 7, 1917, died June 9, 2000. Lawrence was an African American artist. His parents were some of the early migrants of African American from southern America to northern America between 1916-1919. While living in Harlem, Lawrence illustrated everyday life in a modernist way, using vivid colors set against black and brown figures. Alongside his daily life in Harlem, he used the migration that his parents and other African American families experienced as inspiration for a lot of his painting as well.

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Claude McKay was born September 15, 1890, and died on May 22, 1948. McKay was one of the most significant poets of his time during the Harlem Renaissance. He was known for his poems, essays and novels which contributed to the Renaissance. He established himself as a literary voice for justice during his time.

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"If We Must Die", poem written by Claude McKay

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This poem was written during the "Red Summer of 1919", which was a time period where a massive amount of lynching, race riots, violence, and hate crimes were committed against African Americans. In this poem, McKay highlights the inhumane ways African Americans were treated in America, but he talks about it in a way that accurately portrays the injustice as vile, malicious, and disgusting. In this poem, he also tries to inspire and uplift the African American community. This poem is an iconic piece of art from the start of the Harlem Renaissance.

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Harlem Renaissance Figure: Duke Ellington

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Duke Ellington was born on April 29, 1899, and died on May 24, 1974. Ellington was an important figure when it comes to the history of jazz music. Ellington was an American jazz pianist, composer, as well as a bandleader. His orchestra made its appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem, and they increasingly got more famous and gained recognition, expanding their exposure to throughout all kinds of American audiences. He wrote 2,000 pieces of music in his life, and was one of the first jazz musicians to focus on musical form and composition.

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Photograph of The Cotton Club in Harlem during the Renaissance

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The Cotton Club was one of, if not the most popular nightspots in Harlem during the Renaissance. The club held performances from African American entertainers who performed for white audiences. It served as a spring board for many artists most notably Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. In fact, the Duke Ellington Orchestra was the "house" orchestra for several years. The club also featured glamours dancing girls, vaudeville performers, and comics. It is significant because the club was one of the first places where African American performers were not only accepted, but actively supported by a majority white crowd.

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Harlem Renaissance Figure: Zora Neale Hurston

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Zora Neale Hurston was born on January 7, 1891, and died on January 28, 1960. She was a famous writer and anthropologist during the Harlem Renaissance. She offered insight into the African American experience through her writing which was new to America at the time. Her viewpoint was also unique due to the fact that she was a woman. There was a prevalence of influential men, and women were still fighting for their rights too, so her fame and writing skill was highly inspiring to people. In her novels, she presented new ways of thinking about gender and race roles.

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Harlem Renaissance Figure: William Grant Still

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William Grant Still was born on May 11, 1895 and died on December 3, 1978. Still was known as an American composer of almost 200 works, such as ballets, operas, choral works, art songs, chamber music as well as works for solo music. Still’s career started to take off around 1920 when he started to become associated with the Harlem Renaissance. He was the first African American composer who had a professional orchestra perform his symphony in the United States. His career, and life, was one that significantly impacted society's racial and social barriers.

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Novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God", by Zora Neale Hurston

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Zora Neale Hurston's most popular novel is titled "Their Eyes Were Watching God". The novel is about a African American woman named Janie Mae Crawford who is searching for true love. Things go wrong, and she ends up with three abusive men. Eventually, she kills one, in self defense, and is put on trail. During the trail she is condemned by the man's black friends, but she is supported by white women. The all white jury ends up finding her innocent of the murder and she is set free. The story behind this novel is inspired by the new acceptance of African American culture in American society, in particular by white Americans. It is also a story of women empowerment, and it became very popular over time as well due to how in real life, in the future, women and African Americans eventually gained more rights.