• Either they were seen as being lazy, unintelligent, and docile   
• Or they were seen as beasts. Violent creatures, who longed to kill white men and women.

• The "Mammy" stereotype was popularized by the book "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell. The idea was that of a larger black women, with an undying loyalty to a white family and white lifestyle. Although she treated white people with respect, she would dominate over her children and husband (adding to the belief in the inferiority of black men as compared to white men). 
• An extension of the mammy stereotype is the Aunt Jemimah stereotype. This stereotype reinforced the idea that the place of black women was domestic work (cooking specifically). This stereotype became so engrained that the effects of it are still very much relevant today (Aunt Jemimah syrup and pancakes).
• The “sapphire” stereotype depicted African American women as loud, aggressive, and mean. This differed greatly from the mammy stereotype in that sapphire went against all social norms. This stereotype is still prevalent today (think about how many shows and movies you’ve seen with a stereotypical loud and sassy black woman).
• The “Jezebelle” stereotype portrayed black women as irresistible seductresses. The goal of this stereotype was to remove the responsibility of white men in cases of rape against black women. 
• Click here for a more in depth view of Jim Crow and other stereotypes. #StereotypesAlwaysArise

Dreams

Harlem Wine

• To the luck of these black workers, the perfect opportunity had sprung up. WWI created a great demand for industrial production, but also limited the amount of immigrant laborers coming to the U.S. 

• These factors meant that there was a massive need for workers in the North. Around 1 million African Americans would leave the South by 1919, searching for work in the North.

• This mass movement to the North is a part of what was known as the Great Migration, which lasted from roughly 1915 to 1970.

• Click here to learn more about the Great Migration

• This desperation led to landlords accepting many black tenants into the area despite growing tensions in the North over limited housing space, and the opposition of the white inhabitants already living in the area. 

• Many of these white inhabitants would end up leaving the area, resulting in Harlem becoming a predominantly black neighborhood. As a result of this fact, Harlem would later became a very popular destination for the incoming migrants of the Great Migration.

• Click here to learn more about the riot. #GoodThingsAlwaysEnd

• Click here to learn more about the history of the Harlem Renaissance 

• In Chapter 13, after an elderly black couple is kicked out of their home, a growing crowd of black men and women becomes enraged at the white men evicting them. One of them shouts, “Black men, did you ever see such a brute? Is he a gentlemen I ask you? The brute! Give it back to him, black men. Repay the brute a thousandfold!” (Ellison 217). Growing economic tensions are leading into racial tensions.

• In Chapter 20, after returning to his favorite bar, the Invisible Man asks the owner if business is good, to which he responds, “I’d rather not discuss it brother, business is bad. Very bad” (Ellison 329). The economy within Harlem is stagnating. 

• After nearly being killed during the chaos of the riot in Chapter 25, the Invisible Man overhears an explanation of how it began. “Didn’t I see it with my own eyes? About eight o’clock down on Lenox and 123rd this paddy slapped a kid for grabbing a Baby Ruth and the kids momma took it up and then the paddy slapped her and all hell broke loose,” (Ellison 419). Although this explanation doesn’t exactly match the events that occurred in real life, it isn’t far off. A small trigger is all it takes to cause a riot.

• While at a gathering in Chapter 14, the Invisible Man is approached and asked to sing simply because he is black. When he says that he doesn't sing, he gets the response, “Nonsense, all colored people sing” (Ellison 242). The Harlem Renaissance stereotype that all black people sing and dance is clearly present here. 

• At one point in Chapter 20, the Invisible Man finds his friend out on the street selling Sambo dolls and singing, “This sambo, this jambo, this high stepping joy boy” (Ellison 335). The Invisible Man is shocked to see his friend has devolved into a state where he's willing to sell the dolls, however it shows that the Harlem Renaissance wasn't completely successful in getting rid of old stereotypes. 
• During chapter 17, the Invisible Man is told, “You got bad hair! You got thick lips! They say you stink! They hate you, mahn. You African. AFRICAN!" (Ellison 287), by a fellow black man. Not every African American believes that the Harlem Renaissance has actually made any change to the typical white person's view of the typical black man. 

• Police brutality, racial profiling, poverty within black communities,  the war on drugs, and various other race issues are topics of ongoing controversy and conflict within the United States. 

• Despite all the controversy surrounding racial issues, interest in black culture is still extremely high. Rap and R&B music tops the charts. Black actors and athletes are immensely popular throughout the country. Much of the lingo and fashion sense of youth across America is heavily influenced by black culture. 

• Black culture is undeniably influential to modern day trends in fashion, music, etc. However, similar to outcomes of the Harlem Renaissance, the influences of black culture have struggled to produce widespread social change. Recent social events might point in the direction of racial progress, however it will require more than trendiness to accomplish lasting effects.

• The Harlem Renaissance made white people interested in black culture, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they were interested in black people. 

• Black culture became very trendy as African Americans were characterized as uncaring about the world around them, and only wanting to sing and dance. The view on their place in the world had shifted from that of laborers for the white man, to that of the entertainers of the white man. 

• The white Americans’ interest in black culture, but not in black people is best represented by the Cotton Club. The Cotton Club would have performances from prominent black musicians, however only white people were allowed into the club. These white people wanted to experience black culture without having to actually intermingle with black people. Click here to learn more about the Cotton Club.

• Plays and movies that dramatized black culture and black life found huge success amongst white audiences, while productions that focused on more serious racial issues consistently failed to reach a large audience.

• The arrival of the Great Depression proved that interest in black culture truly was just a trend. As soon as people began to lose their jobs interest in the Harlem Renaissance disappeared, and along with it the hopes of social change amongst the black community.