Although slavery was abolished by the 13th Amendment in 1865, racist policies and cultural oppression remained prominent features of African Americans’ lives long after. For much of the 20th century, segregation and Jim Crow laws denied Black citizens access to work and educational opportunities, the right to vote, and countless other freedoms. Beginning around 1910, millions of African Americans moved out of the South to escape entrenched racial discrimination and poor economic conditions. This movement, often referred to as the Great Migration, forged new and varied relationships between Black and white communities in Northern and Midwestern states. It also inspired a resurgence of cultural expression by African Americans as they settled in these areas.

The Harlem Renaissance, named for its birthplace in New York City, was a revival of African American culture and art spanning the 1920s and 1930s. Most scholars agree the movement’s defining text is the 1925 collection of fiction, poetry, and essays on African and African American art called The New Negro: An Interpretation. The collection includes works by several writers closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance, including Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. Hughes sought to encourage racial consciousness and pride in African American culture and identity.