Harlem Renaissance Reflection

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Recommended: Racism in the Harlem Renaissance

What Have I learned/gained from the Harlem Renaissance? We learn about the Harlem Renaissance almost every year in History, but this was the first time I really got to take a deeper look into it. I knew about the basics : blacks moving North, segregation forcing them into Harlem, and blacks celebrating the “New Negro.” I did not however understand the struggles with in the black community - I had a misguided notion that most of the deceit young black men and women faced where from whites, but reading the Invisible Man enlightened me on the steps taken by other blacks to keep their positions. Not everyone was interested in helping the collective community, only themselves. I also learned of the plight of the “New Negro Woman.” They have produced …show more content…

I came to a conclusion I had not really thought of before : as a country that praises ourselves on being individualistic, most of our history is collectivistic. We all want to be different and unique, but then, when hard times come, we like to do the whole “in group - out group” scenario - whether it be in high school or political parties. We have a history of discriminating or accepting off of just a trait - for example, the tribulations faced due to color or gender. On the flip side, I learned that whatever struggles we have, we can get through it. It’s a basic motto, but I feel a sense of hope and determination when I read the stories of the men and women in the Harlem Renaissance and learn how far they have come now - though the fight is ongoing. I do not think I will ever completely understand racial discrimination, but I have learned more about it through the characters in the Invisible Man like Bledsoe and Norton. Leadership is not about power, it is about taking on the struggles of others as your own. It is about realizing that these people need a voice, and I think I can be that voice. It’s not about a dictatorship - it’s just the person who channels what everyone is feeling. Overall though, I learned that there are people everywhere who simply want to look out for you. When we take courses about oppression, we look for that sliver of light that gives us hope during a hard time. The Harlem Renaissance was that light, and I am immensely grateful I took this class because I feel like a much better human in

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