Harlem Renaissance Begins 1920

Starting in 1920 to until the 1930 a unique eruption of creative activity among African Americans happened in all fields of art. Beginning as a series of literary debates in the lower Manhattan, Greenwich Village and upper Manhattan, Harlem, which are sections of New York City, this African American cultural movement became known as "The New Negro Movement" and later as the Harlem Renaissance. More than a legendary movement and more than a social revolt against racism, the Harlem Renaissance displayed the unique culture of African Americans and redefined African American expression. African Americans were encouraged to rejoice their heritage and to become "The New Negro," a term coined in 1925 by sociologist and critic Alain LeRoy Locke.