The Harlem Renaissance
Bartlett Middle School
The Harlem Renaissance
• The Harlem Renaissance (HR) is the
name given to the period from the end of
World War I and through the middle of the
1930s Depression.
• A group of African-American writers
produced poetry, fiction, drama, and
essays.
The Great Migration
• Between 1920 and 1925 more than 2
million African Americans moved from
the South to northern cites (such as New
York City, Chicago, and Washington,
D.C.) , and where more jobs were
available and they felt life would be
easier.
• This was called “The Great Migration”.
Harlem: A Poem
by
Walter Dean Myers
and
illustrated by Christopher Myers
Places leading to Harlem
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Waycross, Georgia
East St. Louis, Missouri
Holly Springs, Mississippi
Gee’s Bend, Alabama
Memphis, Tennessee
Trinidad, West Indies
Goree Island, Senegal, Africa
Harlem Renaissance
Centered in Harlem in the 1920s-1930s,
the Harlem Renaissance was a period in
which African Americans created great
literature, music and art. They wrote
poetry, prose, plays, and novels. The
literature ranged in subject, but race and
racial identity was a common theme.
Places in Harlem mentioned
in the poem.
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1-2-5 Street
Lenox Avenue
Mintons
The Cotton Club
Abyssinian Baptist Church
Apollo Theatre
Striver’s Row
Take the “A” Train to Harlem
• Listen to the music
• Duke Ellington’s
theme song was
“Take the A Train”
Duke Ellington
• The Caldecott Honor book by Andrea Davis
Pinkney, with illustrations by Brian Pinkney and
narration by Forrest Whitaker
• Duke Ellington was hailed as the "King of the
Keys". This is a most fitting tribute to a great
man who proudly celebrated the history of
African-Americans, from slavery to civil rights
struggles.
• Brian Pinkney's glorious artwork swings and
sways to Duke Ellington's spellbinding music.
• Narrated with flair by Forest Whitaker.
Manhattan Island, New York City
Harlem
Famous Black People
Mentioned in Harlem: A Poem
• Boxers- Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray
Robinson
• Writers- Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen,
James Baldwin
• Blues Singer – “Lady Day” Billie Holiday
• Civil Rights Activists – Marcus Garvey,
Malcolm X, W.E.B. DuBois
Christopher Myers
Illustrator of Harlem: A Poem,
a Caldecott Honor Book in 1998
Walter Dean Myers
Reads
Harlem: A Poem
Jazztime
• Screenplay by Maxine Fisher.
• Set in Harlem in 1919, two girls - one white,
one black - form a lifelong friendship through a
chance encounter and the jazztime music of
young "Fats" Waller.
• Narrated by Ruby Dee.
Acknowledgements
• Harlem: A Poem by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated
by Christopher Myers, is a 1997 Caldecott Honor
book. It is published by Scholastic Books and is
available at your local bookstore.
• For more information on author Walter Dean Myers,
illustrator Christopher Myers, and Harlem: A Poem,
visit the Scholastic Books Web Site.
• The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• Georgia Public Television
http://gpb.unitedstreaming.com/