Blacks Reappear

The term 'African-American' doesn't yet exist, and won't for another 50 years. But the great Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s marks the first success for Blacks seeking recognition as fully-functioning American citizens.

It's a tentative beginning, and is limited to Harlem, near the northern fringe of New York's expanding footprint. But what begins as a small enclave of affluent black families quickly mushrooms into a full-blown black oasis.

All the business establishments are black, as are the local police. But New York white elites are beginning to discover that Harlem offers the best entertainment in town, the best music (by far), and the hottest dancers.

 
Harlem Renaissance, 1920s

  Writers and More
The crowd assembled in front of the theater (top left) resembles any similar crowd anywhere in America, but with black faces. Langston Hughes (center top) is just one of a cluster of new black writers that are emerging from this locally fertile ground. White elites are drawn to the exotic nightlife, while Blacks gain their first real taste of professional recognition.

Cotton Club, 1920s

  Hottest Show in Town
The Cotton Club is the throbbing center of entertainment, though only one of several 'whites-only' clubs in Harlem. It's been renovated by a local gangster, who puts in lots of money to dress it up in exotic, jungle style. Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and King Oliver all rise to prominence at the Cotton Club. The clientele is white, while performers and wait staff are all black . This could only happen in Harlem. Anywhere else, it would be banned as scandalous, or outright illegal.


Black Great Migration, 1920s

  Abandoning the Past
The sudden population growth in Harlem is part of a much larger migration of southern Blacks to northern cities during the 1910s. Even larger numbers will follow in later years, as railroads and manufacturers offer jobs to Blacks eager to trade poverty and abuse in the South for work in the North. Many find solid jobs in the surging automobile industry in Detroit, while other destinations include Kansas City, St Louis, Chicago, Buffalo and even California.