Elizabeth Catlett is a famous African American artist. Catlett was born in 1919 in Washington D.C. Her grandparents were former slaves. Catlett's grandparents were freed from slavery, and after they were freed they decided that they wanted better lives for their children. Catlett created artwork...

THE EVOLUTION OF RAP MUSIC Rap is a form of urban music, which emerged from the 'hip-hop' movement of the South Bronx, New York, in the early 1970's. The hip-hop culture was comprised of the popular street activities of African-American youth during the 1970's such as: styl...

Harlem Renaissance During the 1920's, the spiritual, social, and literary eagerness that raced through Harlem could be called the most important period of self-discovery in African-American history after the Civil War. Black literature went through a tremendous outbreak in Harlem, which is a d...

It is no mystery to modern man that African-Americans have long been subjected to the prejudice of the contemptuous white man. Let's face it: the roots of racism can be traced back to the infancy of a nation which boldly claims "liberty and justice for all." Even following the alleged emancipati...

It seems unfair that the pages of our history books or even the lecturers in majority of classrooms speak very little of the accomplishments of blacks. They speak very little of a period within black history in which many of the greatest musicians, writers, painters, and influential paragon'' e...

The People, Leisure, and Culture of Blacks During the Harlem Renaissance It seems unfair that the pages of our history books or even the lecturers in majority of classrooms speak very little of the accomplishments of blacks. They speak very little of a period within black history in which ma...

The Black slaves of colonial America brought their own culture from Africa to the new land. Despite their persecution, the "slave culture" has contributed greatly to the development of America's own music, dance, art, and clothing. Music It is understandable that when Africans were torn from their h...

The Harlem Renaissance was a period for blacks to engage in life. Life, which consists of good, evil, happiness, sadness, communication and expression, was more like a prison built on a foundation of hardship, suppression and all the counter parts of the good things, the things worth living for. Bu...

Langston Hughes: A Poet Supreme Rachael N. Rivas Black poetry is poetry that (1) is grounded in the black experience; (2) utilizes black music as a structural or emulative model; and (3) "consciously" transforms the prevailing standards of poetry through and inconoclastic and innovative use of langu...

Langston Hughes: A Poet Supreme Black poetry is poetry that (1) is grounded in the black experience; (2) utilizes black music as a structural or emulative model; and (3) "consciously" transforms the prevailing standards of poetry through and inconoclastic and innovative use of language. No poet bet...

Perhaps more than any other form of music, jazz music means America. Jazz music, like America itself, is a melting pot of ideas, emotions, and traditions. According to Joachim Berendt, jazz is a form of music that emerged in the United States as a combination of African American and European...

The Evolution of Rap Music All one has to do is simply observe their surroundings to realize the huge impact of rap music on today's society. The way people dress, talk, and act have all been influenced by the cultural phenomenon known as rap music. Almost every aspect of American culture has b...

As the poet, Jean Toomer, is talking to a prostitute, he explains how one day even a girl like her will have a world of opportunities, because of art. In the south many black women were so caught up in their own spirituality that many people forgot their identities, and only knew them for their bel...

Discrimination against African American within the United States has been a recognised problem for decades. Many were forced into sub standard accommodation in areas of cities, which came to be known as the ghettos during the first half of the twentieth century. Within the ghettos the African A...

Spike Lee The man we know as "Spike" was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957 in Atlanta ,Georgia. The first of five children, he got the nickname Spike from his mother for being "a tough baby". Spike's tendency to be difficult is one that goes right back t...

Another Negro Burned America is the number one criminal for violent offenses. They have tortured, robbed, and killed many people, cultures, and civilizations. How can anyone get away with all of these brutalities? It's simple, America is a power source that specializes in masquerading thei...

Langston Hughes, a Man of Many Virtues Langston Hughes is one of the most well-known black poet and short story writer in our country today. He is also famous for his willingness to write on subjects important and close to him, and never being afraid to stand up for what he believes in. Through ...

"The Portrait of a Farmer's Wife," the work of artist Robert Gwathmey, has been housed at the Dallas Museum of Art since around 1951. The overall size of the painting is 23 x 19 3/8 inches, composed on canvas with oil paints. Gwathmey's painting depicts an old black woman sitting on a chair. She l...

The Harlem Renaissance marked the first time that mainstream publishers and critics took African American literature seriously. It was also the first time that African American literature and art attracted significant attention from the nation at large. Although it was primarily a literary movement,...

Racial Pride and Optimism in Langston Hughes' Poetry Being of mixed race, much of Langston Hughes' poetry deals with the struggles of living in America as a minority, or in his case as an African American. Some of his early poetry can be read as more optimistic regarding the plight...

Claude McKay was a born in 1890 in Jamaican. The novelist and poet was well educated having studied at both Tuskegee University and the University of Kansas. As a major contributor to the Harlem Renaissance, McKay is best remembered for his racially themed poetry with popular works such as ...

Spike Lee: Blackness has Many Meanings Presently in America a war is being fought. Forget about guns, planes, and bombs, the weapons from now on will be the newspapers, magazines, TV shows, radio, and FILM. The right has gotten BOLD, bolstered by their squashing of Ice-T's COP KIL...

Black Americans Black Americans are those persons in the United States who trace their ancestry to members of the Negroid race in Africa. They have at various times in United States history been referred to as African, coloured, Negro, Afro-American, and African-American, as well as black. The...

The Buck is Back .......and Baaaddderrr Than Ever! Scene 1: Outside a ticket box office in a suburban movie theater in 1967. About a dozen white couples patiently wait in line to purchase tickets to the "progressive" new film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner by Stanley Kramer. Cam...

Faith Ringgold's "God Bless America" is an expression of the emotional and physical torment of black Americans prior to and during the Civil Rights Movement. This piece of art movement had a lot of cultural ties to the population during the 1960's that also can be applied today in the year...