Unsung Heroes of the Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance was a legendary era of Black creativity. Harlem served as a mecca for an explosion of self-expression through poetry, music, and activism. 

During this period, literature became a vital outlet for the artistic development of African-Americans. Some of the notable individuals who have become associated with the Harlem Renaissance include Langston Hughes and W.E.B. Dubois. 

While the work of these individuals continues to be highly regarded, there are also other noteworthy figures who have not been acknowledged. Many African-American women writers and editors who were part of the Harlem Renaissance have not been given the recognition they deserved.

In his 1981 book, “When Harlem Was in Vogue,” historian and scholar David Levering Lewis wrote, “There is no telling what she would have done had she been a man, given her first-rate mind and formidable efficiency at any task.” Lewis said these words about Jessie Redmon Fauset, “one of the midwives” of the Harlem Renaissance, but rarely lauded as a cultural innovator.

She served as literary editor of The Crisis—the official magazine of the NAACP founded by DuBois— became the first Black woman to graduate from Cornell University, and held a stake in spearheading the careers of her male counterparts (Fauset published Langston Hughes’ first poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”). Yet Fauset’s achievements are virtually unknown.

Fauset was also remarkable for her dedication to enriching Black talent. She would host dinner parties and social gatherings with other Black writers to read poetry and discuss literature. 

Similarly to Fauset, playwrights and poets Georgia Douglas Johnson and Regina Anderson sought to cultivate spaces for the writing community. Johnson turned her Washington, D.C. home into “S. Street Salon,” a weekly Saturday night roundtable that served as playwriting workshops and open dialogues about feminism and racial and sexual violence against Black women. 

As the first African American to lead a New York Public Library branch, Anderson knew firsthand that knowledge is power. She would distribute books by up-and-coming Black artists to patrons at the Harlem Public Library during her shifts as a librarian, allowing beginners to reach a wider audience and follow in the footsteps of the already-established writers. 

The importance of including diverse perspectives in historical narratives is acknowledged by these women. They believed that there was a space for African-American writers of all ages and experiences to share their stories and contribute to the cultural movement. Despite their efforts, these individuals are not included in the curriculum of today.

The book “The Harlem Renaissance Remembered” by Arna Bontemps explores the history and heart of the Harlem Renaissance and the brilliant minds that emerged from this era through a collection of essays. However, author Zora Neale Hurston is the only woman mentioned throughout the book. Yet even Hurson, one of the most lauded Harlem Renaissance women, was under-recognized in her day. Books That Matter, a U.K.-based monthly subscription box service of feminist literature, found that Hurston’s books were severely under-published, and were only in circulation in small numbers. 

Throughout Hurston’s career, her works were criticized and rarely accepted by publishers. Some of her most prominent critics were her colleagues, who scorned her for writing about perseverance and the beauty of life instead of racism and discrimination in America like many others. When Hurston died in 1960, she was laid in an unmarked grave, and her beloved books went out of print.

Encompassing all viewpoints and personal experiences creates a thorough look at history. 

Through the exploration of multiple perspectives, history can be made more complex and nuanced. It allows us to understand the world in a more holistic manner. This is evidenced by Fauset's monthly children’s magazine, "The Brownie's Book," which encouraged kids to share their experiences of being Black. It also highlights the positive aspects of the community's cultural pride. 

Learning about this history and its contributions enriches the education of all students. When Black perspectives are left out of history, it only paints part of the picture, leaving out great thinkers, artists and movements, whose legacies influence us all. Teaching such histories reimagines how they are taught and the visionaries elected to represent them.