The Cultural Movement In Willis Richardson's The New Negro Movement

The Harlem Renaissance, in the 1920’s, sparked a cultural movement known as the “New Negro”. Along with this movement, an anthology was published by Alain Locke named The New Negro. Within this anthology, the playwright Willis Richardson left his mark in the movement through his play Compromise. Compromise depicted what Alain Locke meant by the New Negro movement. Many plays that were published established ideas similar to Compromise. In the single issue magazine Fire, the play Color Struck had similar agendas but from a different point of view, culturally. Willis Richardson, through his work, Compromise, tries to establish the idea of how culture influences the political sphere in society.

Willis Richardson, was born in Wilmington, N.C

Jane was oppressed by the cultural norms and was forced to live in a society where the white society has power over the African-Americans. Emma is the result of long term overpowerment by the white society. John says, “She so despises her own skin that she can’t believe any one else could love it” (Fire, 14). Due to the cultural norms and stereotypes of the “Old Negro” she became a race radical. This is the old psychology which differed from the new psychology of the younger generations. In both plays, the opposing forces were Alec versus Jane and Emma versus John. These forces were the ideas that were attributed by the ideals that existed in society. It was believed that African-Americans talked, dressed, behaved, and thought in ways that lacked in sophistication and refinement. These were some of the attributes that society generally gave to the whites (Jarrett 837). Throughout, both plays the stereotypical language is present in both Jane and

The White House which is strictly political, and white houses which is both political and cultural. It becomes political when the McKay says, “To hold me to the letter of your law” (Locke 134). This line refers to the law of the land but what’s fascinating about this line is that is word “your”. The use of your makes it also cultural because of African-Americans were not politically incorporated. This ultimately became a cultural issue because of the Jim Crow laws. One of the provisions within Jim Crow were the literary test. Which if a person could not read or write, they could not ultimately vote (Ferris 2016). Therefore, since many African-Americans could not vote do to cultural norms, then why should they follow American law if they were not given a