"Rebirth" of the African American Arts of 1920
Oct 10, 2016
I think that from all my artworks, "Rebirth" would be the most appropriate piece for the artistic accomplishments of the African American Artists in 1920.
“O, rise, shine for thy light is a’coming.” Alain LeRoy Locke
The form is the element that sets “the new Negro poetry” apart from all other poetry of the period.
The flexibility of Harlem Renaissance poetry is most apparent in the work of Langston Hughes and Sterling Brown. They widened the language of African American poetry in ways that black poets still draw upon today.
The new movement made possible not only a poetry of self-revelation but also a poetry of protest. Here is a stirring example of it.
Ku Klux
They took me out
To some lonesome place,
They said, “Do you believe
In the great white race?”
I said, “Mister
To tell the truth,
I’d believe in anything
If you’d just turn me loose.”
The white man said, “Boy,
Can it be?
You’re a-standing’ there
A-sassin’ me?”
They hit me in the head
And knocked me down.
And then they kicked me
On the ground.
A klansman said, “Nigger,
Look me in the face-
And tell me you believe in
The great white race.”
Langston Hughes, American poet
Click on the "Rebirth" to see details of the artwork and preview a variety of sizes, medium and styles.
