ENG 247: African American Literature II
Black Wall Street
- Black Wall StreetIn 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street, was one of the most prosperous African-American communities in the United States. On May 31, 1921 the community was attacked after a false report in a local newspaper. Violence against Black Wall Street lasted two days killed 300 people and destroyed the community. Historically, it was called the Tulsa Race Riots, however, contemporaries call it the Tulsa Massacre.
Blacks in the U.S. Military
- African American in the MilitaryThroughout America’s history, from the Battle of Lexington to the Battle for Fallujah, black Soldiers have honorably answered the call to duty, serving with great valor and distinction in America’s armed forces. This website provides a timeline of African Americans in the U.S. military.
- Harlem Hellfighters“Up the wide avenue they swung. Their smiles outshone the golden sunlight. In every line proud chests expanded beneath the medals valor had won. The impassioned cheering of the crowds massed along the way drowned the blaring cadence of their former jazz band. The old 15th was on parade and New York turned out to tender its dark-skinned heroes a New York welcome.”
- Henry Johnson: A Tale of CourageHenry Johnson was an African American U.S. Army soldier who fought heroically in the 369th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army in World War I. Learn the story of his life, his family, and the extensive efforts to honor his bravery and courage after his death. Johnson was finally honored with the Purple Heart in 1996, the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002, and the Medal of Honor in 2015 from PBS.
- The Role of Black Americans in World War IFifty years after the end of the Civil War, the nation’s 9.8 million African Americans held a tenuous place in society. Ninety percent of African Americans lived in the South, most trapped in low-wage occupations, their daily lives shaped by restrictive “Jim Crow” laws and threats of violence
- Tuskegee AirmenAs you browse through the pages of this website, you will learn more about TAI and the people who composed a little known, but intriguing part of American history–people who will forever be known as Tuskegee Airmen.
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Harlem Renaissance & The New Negro (1920-1930)
The Harlem Renaissance was an artistic, intellectual, and cultural movement spanning the 1920s in Harlem, Manhattan, New York. This movement spanned the decade until the mid-1930s and was led by African Americans in the area. At the time, it was called the New Negro Movement after Alain Leroy Locke's book, The New Negro published in 1925. The movement was expanded by the Great Migration (the physical movement of African Americans from the Southern to the Northern States).
Image Credit: A Great Day in Harlem (or Harlem 1958) by Art Kane for Esquire Magazine on August 12, 1958 (published in the January 1959 issue).
Literature during this period
The New Negro: An Interpretation (1925) by Alain Leroy Locke is a collection of work from the Harlem Renaissance. Also called the Negro Renaissance it includes social political issues of the time, artistic changes, and the burgeoning voice of the African American middle class. The book is split into two parts: Part One: The Negro Renaissance & Part Two: The New Negro in the New World. This book aimed to generate a conversation on the African American community at the time, not enslavement. This is considered the ultimate literary reference source for anyone studying African American literature, history, or culture. Locke is often called the "Dean of the Harlem Renaissance" and was called a philosopher by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Image Credit: WikiCommons
The Protest Era & A Call for Civil Rights (1930 - 1950)
The Civil Rights Movement was a struggle for African American social justice in America. This time period spans from roughly 1950s-1960s during which African Americans and allies fought to end racial discrimination and segregation. The Movement ended with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 196
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for FreedomExhibition timeline for Civil Rights Act from The Library of Congress
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for FreedomExhibition Timeline from The Library of Congress focusing on the Civil Rights Movement.
- Emmett Till's Death Inspired a MovementArticle on the murder of Emmett Till from the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
- Ella Baker papersThe Ella Baker papers provide a snapshot of Baker's life as an activist and visionary for a variety of progressive organizations in the United States, from the 1930s through the 1980s. Documented here are the organizations and individuals that were central to Baker's network such as George Schulyer, The Young Women's Christian Association, In Friendship, A. Phillip Randolph, and Bayard Rustin. The collection, however, does not document her personal life nor does it fully capture her philosophy or political ideas (Library of Congress).
- Bayard RustinBayard Rustin (1912–1987) was a human rights activist known for his work during the Civil Rights Movement highlight from National Museum of African America History & Culture.
- Civil Rights ProjectThe National Museum of African American History & Culture and the Library of Congress have produced an invaluable look at the Civil Rights Movement through the Civil Rights History Project.
The Black Arts Movement & Black Aesthetic (1960 - 1980)
The Black Arts Movement was an African American-led art and culture movement, during the 1960s and 1970s which celebrated Black Pride and individualism through creative works.
- Black Arts MovementThe Power of Poetry: The New Negro Renaissance to the Black Arts Movement article from the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
- The Emergence of Black Culture and Identity in the 60s and 70sBlack is Beautiful: The Emergence of Black Culture and Identity in the 60s and 70s article from the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
- From the Black Arts Movement to Cave Canem: Writing Across GenreFrom the Black Arts Movement to Cave Canem: Writing Across Genre. Panel discussion during a day-long symposium in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Black Arts Movement and the 20th anniversary of the literary organization Cave Canem. June 13, 2016. Library of Congress.
- The Power of PoetryThe Power of Poetry: Post-1970s to Contemporary Performance Poetry article from the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
- The Unsinkable Nikki Giovanni Reflects on a Life of Tears and Laughter in New CollectionArticle from The Root on Nikki Giovanni by Anne Branigin (11/02/2017).
A New Black Aesthetic & A New Millennium (1990 - Present)
The 1990s saw a mainstream push of African American literature through the genres. African American writers showcased hip hop, science fiction, romance, crime fiction poetry, plays, etc. All stories and works created during this time refute negative mainstream ideas of being African American and celebrate the African Diaspora.
- Afrofuturism: Why black science fiction 'can't be ignored'Article from BBC on afrofuturism by Gena-mour Barrett.
- Black literature in the ’90sArticle from Diverse Issues in Higher Education by Mary-Christine Phillip.
- What The Heck Is Afrofuturism?Article from theHuffPost on Afro-Futurism by Jamie Broadnax.
- Literary Allusion Runs Deep Through the History of Hip-HopArticle by Roy Christopher on Rap and Literature.
- Timeline of African American poetryTimeline on African American poetry from Lift Every Voice.