If we must die, let it not be like hogs
   Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
   While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,
   Making their mock at our accursèd lot.
   If we must die, O let us nobly die,
   So that our precious blood may not be shed
   In vain; then even the monsters we defy
   Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!
   O kinsmen! we must meet the common foe!
   Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,
   And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow!
   What though before us lies the open grave?
   Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
   Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

During the 1950’s Billie Holiday rose as a social phenomenon.  Born Eleanora Fagan grew up in Baltimore. As a teenager she began singing in jazz clubs. At the age of 18 Billie was spotted by John Hammond and received her first record as part of a studio group led by Benny Goodman. She made big hits including “What a Little Moonlight can do” and “Miss Brown to You.” Holiday began working with Lester Young in 1936, who gave her the nick name “Lady Day”. She was one of the first black women to work with a white orchestra. A musical legend Billie Holiday died at the age of 44. She pionerrerd a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. She cowrote  a few songs that became jazz standards. "God Bless the Child," "Don't Explain," "Fine and Mellow," and "lady Sings the Blues."

Born William Henry Webb, know as Chick Webb was and American jazz ad swing music drummer. Born in Baltimore, he suffered from tuberculosis of the spine. He worked as a newspaper boy to save enough money to buy drums and he first played professionally at age 11. At the age of 17 he move to New York City and began leading his own band in Harlem. His band became the house band at the Savoy Ballroom. He became one of the best-regarded band leader and drummers of the new “Swing” style. Drumming legend Buddy Rich cited Webb’s technique and performances as heavily influential on his own drumming and referred to Webb as “the daddy of them all.” At the Savory in “Battle of the Bands” Chicks often won and was deemed “King of Swing.”

One of the most famous musicians of the Harlem Renaissance was Louis Armstrong. Having come from a poor family in New Orleans, Armstrong began to perform with bands in small clubs, and play at funerals and parades around town in New Orleans. He wasn't a small band man for long, though. Louis Armstrong was invited in 1922 to move to Chicago, to play the second cornet in a Creole Jazz Band. However, just two years later, Armstrong moved to New York City, and began playing his music with the FLetcher Henderson Orchestra at the Roseland Ballroom. In 1929, he made his first appearance on the Broadway stage. In his recording of Ain't Misbehavin, he used a pop song, however, interpreted it through jazz. This helped to set the stage for the acceptance of jazz music in the future. In 1942, he married a dancer from the Cotton Club, where his band had performed many times. All throughout the 1950's and 60's, Armstrong appeared in films and made many international tours. Louis Armstrong is one of the most appreciated jazz artists of the Harlem Renaissance, and of all times. People learned to appreciate both jazz, and African American music even more, because of this man. Armstrong played music up until the day he died at 70 years old, on July 6, 1971. 

The Charleston is a dance named for the city of Charleston, South California. The rhythm was popularized in mainstream dance music in the United States by a 1923 tune called “the Charleston” by composer/pianist James P. Johnson.

Josephine baker was a dancer, singer actress and comedian. She was the first African American performer to break free of racial offense. She is known to audiences in both Europe and the United States, she is known as “Black Venus”, “Black Pearl” and Creole Goddess because of her audiences and beauty. 

"….the Apollo probably exerted a greater influence upon popular culture than any other entertainment venue in the world. For blacks it was the most important cultural institution–not just the greatest black theatre, but a special place to come of age emotionally, professionally, socially, and politically. Ted Fox, “Showtime at the Apollo”

Marcus Garvey was a leading intellectual during the Harlem Renaissance. Garvey was self taught, and until he was 14 years old, attended school in Jamaica. While working in Costa Rica and Panama, Garvey became aware of the discrimination that his people, the African Americans, faced. He traveled to London in 1912, where he learned about Booker T Washington’s autobiography, which greatly influenced his movement. So in 1914, Garvey returned to Jamaica where he founded the United Negro Improvement Association, in order to create stronger connections between African Americans. Garvey became known as a rising “black Moses”, had gained roughly 2 million followers. In the Association’s Liberty Hall of Harlem, Garvey spoke about the “new negro”, and showed his pride for his race. At the time, Garvey also wrote a newspaper called the Negro World. This newspaper explained exploits of heroes of his race, as well as praising the African culture. Garvey’s teachings included the idea that African Americans would only be respected if they were strong, economically, and so as a result, he created chains of restaurants, hotels, laundries, a printing press, and much more for the black people in the United States.

A. Philip Randolph was born of April 15th, 1889.  He moved to Jacksonville, where he attended the Cookman Institute, with his brothers. After graduating, he worked different odd jobs, but dedicated much of his time to singing, acting and reading. He was convinced by W.E.B Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk to fight for social equality, for his people. In 1911, he moved to New York City. Randolph joined the Socialist Party, and started to inform people on 135Street and Lenox avenue about socialism. He was asked in 1917 to edit a monthly magazine for the society, known as the Messenger. The magazine tried to find balance between the NAACP and the utopian populism of the UNIA. Randolph contributed to African American rights beyond editing a magazine in Harlem, NY. He became a widely known spokesman, and founded a League against military segregation in the army, which was later ended by President Truman.