Before I was in college (back in the 90s), I had never really heard of the Harlem Renaissance. I am not even sure that I had been exposed to any Harlem Renaissance writers. Maybe Langston Hughes? Probably not. Once I got to college, however, I took a class in African American History which the professor taught through primary documents including literature, including poems of the Harlem Renaissance and amazing novels like Invisible Man and Their Eyes were Watching God. I was hooked.
What is the Harlem Renaissance?
The Harlem Renaissance was a period of time when authors and artists of color first experienced a boom in production and recognition. It began just after the Great Migration (1916-1919), a period when Southern People of Color began moving north and west to seek better jobs. In 1922, The Cotton Gin, a club featuring musicians of color opened. Famous musicians like Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong performed there, among others.
At the same time, poets and authors of the Harlem Renaissance began publishing starting with Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man published anonymously by James Weldon Johnson. Later, he edited an anthology of poems of the Harlem Renaissance which included poets like Jean Toomer, Claude McKay, Leslie Pinckney, Fenton Johnson, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Jessie Fauset, Anne Spencer, Alice Dunbar-Nelson and so many others.
The Harlem Renaissance tapped into the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties. As a result, many writers and artists of color flourished. In 1929, The stock market crashed marking the beginning of The Great Depression. Many white Americans began looking for a scapegoat and people of color ended up at the center of their anger. In 1935, race riots broke out in Harlem, effectively ending the period known as the Harlem Renaissance.
Why We should include Poems of the Harlem Renaissance in High School English
There is magic in the writing from this time period. The words are beautiful. The themes are universal AND ahead of their time. Poems of the Harlem Renaissance deal with love, seasons, struggle, isolation and racism.
As teachers, it is our job to celebrate the writing of all cultures and the Harlem Renaissance is a great place to start.
Harlem Renaissance Activities for High School English
Poetry Slam
I love a good poetry slam. Students love a poetry slam too and it is easy to encourage them to engage in deep analysis. (For more on throwing a poetry slam, download free A Guide to the Poetry Slam for High School Teachers). You could pit the poets of the Harlem Renaissance against one another, or you could have contemporary authors of color or authors.
Another way to do a Harlem Renaissance Poetry Slam would be to set up Divisions:
Division 1: Authors of color that predate the Harlem Renaissance (Fenton Johnson, Phillis Wheatley, Paul Laurence Dunbar, William Stanley Braithwaite)
Division 2: Harlem Renaissance (Use the poems and poets from Poems of the Harlem Renaissance Workbook.)
Division 3: Poets of color from the 40s-90s (Margaret Walker, Alice Walker, Amari Baraka, Maya Angelou, Kwame Davis, Audre Lorde and more) or Poets of the Jazz Movement .
Division 4: Poets for color from the 2000s or Poets of the Dark Room Collective (Amanda Gorman, Terrance Hayes, Tracey K. Smith, Kevin Young, Major Jackson and more)
Close Reading Practice
In my last post, I discussed ways to approach close reading in high school English. Included in these strategies is using very short passages to focus students’ reading and rereading. For a ready to use Harlem Renaissance Close Reading package, check out this product.
The Influence of the Harlem Renaissance Study
Have students use a variety of pieces (poetry and prose) to examine their commonalities to determine the characteristics of the works of the Harlem Renaissance. Once they have compiled their list, have students study (together or independently) works of more contemporary authors of color to see how their works have been influenced by the writers of the Harlem Renaissance.
Jigsaw Activity
Use the free Poems of the Harlem Renaissance Workbook to have small groups become experts in one poem, then have the experts share their poems with new groups.
You could do the same thing with Lessons in Close Reading for the Harlem Renaissance.
Choice Board or Stations
There is more to the Harlem Renaissance that its writers, so set up a choice board in Google Slides that includes live links to videos of Duke Ellington or Cab Calloway, take a virtual tour of the Cotton Club, include images of artwork and of course, direct students to poems and short stories by Harlem Renaissance Writers. Of course, the poetry work is done for you. Just grab your copy of the Poems of the Harlem Renaissance Workbook. These are easily adapted as stations, too.
15 Poems of the Harlem Renaissance for High School
Harlem Renaissance Poems about Love
- “If You Should Go” Countee Cullen
- “Lines to a Nasturtium” Anne Spencer
- “Again it is September” Jesse Redmon Fauset
Harlem Renaissance Poems about Struggle
- “Aunt Sue’s Stories” Langston Hughes
- “Southern Mansion” Arna Botemps
- “Outcast” Claude McKay
- “Mother to Son” Langston Hughes
Harlem Renaissance Poems about Freedom
- “Beehive” Jean Toomer
- “Like a Strong Tree” Claude McKay
Harlem Renaissance Poems about Hope
- “Before a Painting” James Weldon Johnson
- “I Have a Rendezvous With Life” Countee Cullen
- “When I Rise Up” Georgia Douglas Johnson
- “Summer Magic” Leslie Pinckney Hill
Harlem Renaissance Poems about Nature
- “Storm Endings” Jean Toomer
All 15 of these poems are included in the free Poems of the Harlem Renaissance Workbook for High School Students. Grab your copy today.
Embracing the Harlem Renaissance and Voices of Color
I sincerely hope that you will consider adding a Harlem Renaissance unit to your academic year. It is important that these voices which were so important in the 1920 and 30s be brought back into the light to be studied and enjoyed. I remember learning in that college course that I mentioned at the top of the this page about Zora Neale Hurston. Her works had only just been released after having been out of print for decades. It is our job as English teachers to insure that these voices of the Harlem Renaissance remain vigorous.
Related Resources
5 Ways to Include Black Voices in Your ELA Classroom (A Better Way to Teach)
15 Mentor Sentences from Black Authors (A Better Way to Teach)
Harlem Renaissance Poetry for High School (FREE resource)
Six Lessons for Black History Month (and anytime) featuring TED Talks (Smith Teaches 9 to 12)
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