Harlem Renaissance Report - Book Report/Review Example

This parade was celebrating the return of the famed 369th New York’ Regiment from the World War I. According to Lewis (12), the heroic 369th regiment, which was almost entirely black, had pleased the French High Command that it was finally picked out among all Allied forces to lead the final match to the Rhine. This was contrary to the wishes expressed by the senior American commanders. The band was commanded by Jim Europe, a black commissioned officer. He also states that the bloody 1935 Harlem did not portray the dramatic abruptness that the 1990s Great Depression had extinguished the brief starburst of the renaissance prematurely.

Lewis notes clearly that the period that stretched from near the end of the World War I and after the great depression was a time of great intellectual cooperation between the white bohemias and the black artists and also a period of artistic freedom. He also states that majority of the shakers and movers who led the renaissance comprised of black and white Americans who were most elegantly educated like DuBois and Charles Johnson. DuBois was a black graduate of Harvard while Charles was a graduate of Chicago University (Watson 134).

Wintz (96) states that when America entered the World War I, W.E.B DuBois, the most influential back intellectual counseled the black Americans of fighting age to serve their nation unstintingly irrespective of the nation’s unpleasant history of insulting decisions by military and racism. Lewis (125) commends that these decisions indicated that the US military did not have enough confidence on the intelligence or the courage of the American Negros to serve in critical roles in the armed forces.

At this time, the blacks in the 369th regime were only trusted for the most menial noncombat roles yet at the time of its impressive performance, it had only 18 white officers against the black majority. Lewis notes that DuBois came up as the guiding spirit to the renaissance. DuBois believed that if whites who were enlightened were adequately exposed to a non-ending stream of first rate art from several black artists, they would realize that the black Talented Tenth was creative cultured and intelligent just as the most cultivated and best-educated whites were.

He believed that this would end inequality and racism for the Talented Tenth as well as blacks of all classes. On his part, his fellow renaissance mover, Charles Johnson, was hired by the National Urban league as the editor of the Opportunity. His goal for this monthly magazine was to redeem the standing of his people through art. In his position, he guide and recruited others into the spotlight by working secretly and patiently behind the scenes. In 1924, Johnson orchestrated the dinner sponsored by the opportunity and the notable result of this dinner was Harlem renaissance gaining recognition and getting its name.

Lewis notes that the venue of the diner was very significant. It was at Manhattan’s Civic Club, the only club in the upper-crest New York which did not have gender or racial restrictions. The main aim of the dinner was to celebrate the publication of the novel There Is Confusion written by a black writer. However, it extended into the invitation of white writers alongside best known and still obscure black writers. It also marked the start of annual contests and