Go There To Know There

Photo from The Academy of American Poets Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was one of the most beloved and celebrated poets of the Harlem Renaissance. Among his many contributions, Hughes helped to "define the spirit of the age" by underscoring the connections among multiple expressive forms--namely poetry's kinship to jazz--of the era. As our text explains, Hughes's autobiography, The Big Sea offers a rare, first-hand account of the scenes, sights, and happenings of one of the most important eras in African American literary--and cultural--history (Gates et al. 1289). Born in Joplin, Missouri, Hughes hailed from an illustrious family line: as Gates points out, Hughes was the grandson of a prominent Kansas politician; and his brother, John Mercer Langston, was, among other things, "founding dean of the law school" at Howard. Despite his auspicious family tree, Langston grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, in virtual poverty. In the years that followed, Hughes wo...

Commonwealth Magazine One of the most celebrated poets of the Harlem Renaissance, Claude McKay was not originally from the United States. He was born in Sunny Ville, Jamaica. Known for his nostalgic poetic remembrances of his home in Jamaica, McKay's work evolved to include poetry that challenged the racism he encountered in the United States. Such poems as "If We Must Die" came as a direct outcry against the bloodshed from a series of race riots known as the Red Summer of 1919 (McBryde). If we must die, let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,  While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, Making their mock at our accursed lot.  If we must die, O let us nobly die,  So that our precious blood may not be shed  In vain; then even the monsters we defy Shall be constrained to honor use though dead! O kinsmen! we must meet the common foe! Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,  And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow! What though...

Rudolph Fisher (1897-1934) is considered one of the most admired intellects and beloved figures of the Harlem Renaissance. A 'renaissance man' in the fullest sense of the term, Fisher's complex and varied talents enabled him to excel as a writer, musician, and medical doctor. Born in Washington, D.C., Fisher grew up in Providence, Rhode Island where he attended Classical High School. From there he attended Brown University, where he majored in both English and Biology. In his address to his graduating class at Brown, Fisher's words conveyed the young man's ability to integrate matters belonging to both the spiritual world and the world of science. Brown University's website quotes its alumnus as having deftly observed the twin purposes and development of science and faith. He noted that "As thinking Christians, we strive not to bring men to heaven, but to bring heaven to men, and with that the aim of science is identical. It is this oneness of purpose t...