Did you know that the rise of swing and the Harlem Renaissance coincides with a movement among African-American intellectuals and artists known as the "New Negro"? This movement sought to redefine what it meant to be African-American in the United States. Instead of waiting for change to happen, scholars such as Alain Locke helped promote the importance of economic determination, participation in the political process, pride in African-American traditions, and focus on various forms of cultural self-expression. The movement also sought ways to address how African-Americans faced legal discrimination while receiving a level of mainstream acceptance during the Harlem Renaissance. When we study dance, we learn more about the world dancers lived in....Onward...
*Photo: The Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) Parade, organized in Harlem, Date Issued: 1920
*Division: Schomburg Center For Research in Black Culture, Photographs, and Prints Division
*Content: Accession: SC-CN-79-0039
One of the slogans carried in the parade: "Harlem, corner of the 135th Street and Lenox Avenue."
