Journal #26

The 1920's began the class struggle and the real social instigation of "inferior and superior races and civilizations." Obviously there were racial problems before this era, but they didn't seem as significant because the blacks were not even considered people, only slaves to be bought and sold. In the 1920's they were people, and a lot of people disagreed with this. This discourse became a national problem concerning all people. The Renaissance was important because in the years prior to this intellectual Negro movement few black people could properly express the emotional turmoil of the race and help to make the nation realize that Negros are no different than anyone else. Blacks were always capable of achieving the same intelligence as whites, but not given the education or opportunity to prove it up until this point. The Harlem Renaissance provided black people the chance to express themselves and although it was accompanied by much white criticism, they were able to show the nation the struggles and strife that the race endured.

Johnson overviews many of the contributors to the Harlem Renaissance in "The Negro Renaissance and Its Significance." Cullen, Toomer, McKay, Du Bois, Dunbar, Hughes, Locke and others are quoted in this selection. These writers brought grace, style and beauty to the movement, boldly inviting readers of any color to engage in their stories and poems, to grasp the hardships of the race.

"Black No More" is a very interesting concept. A fictional piece about black people being able to turn white, Schuyler reveals all of the problems that might unfold without the African American race. The NAACP declines, the KKK has nothing to do (I'm not sure why he thought that was a problem; I think it's more comical imagining them twittling their thumbs and trying to figure out a real purpose), Garvey's literature

I think that Schuyler's scenario examines the idea of societal status, race was a determining factor of status during this time. This idea of turning everyone into Caucasions plays a detrimental role in how social status was viewed. Can a society function without the class system?

Why is it that the Dr. Grone character is doubly respected by the Negroes because he is respected by the whites? Schuyler is challenging the Negroe view of white society. Just because the high class white people think that they are better doesn't mean that they actually are, it's as if the black people truly believe it and therefore put more stock and respect into those who are accepted by Caucasions. All in all this story was very strange and confusing to me, maybe because it was just so irrational or because there were so many different characters with different motives within 10 pages of reading.

Works Cited

Johnson, Charles. "The Negro Renaissance and Its Significance." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 206-218.

Schuyler, George. "Black No More." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 655-666.