I stumbled upon a great book while browsing at the library: The Power of Pride – Stylemakers and Rulebreakers of the Harlem Renaissance by Carole Marks and Diana Edkins. The book outlines the lives of seventeen men and women who characterize what came to be known as the Harlem Renaissance in the very early years of the 1920’s. I must admit, I was drawn to the book initially because of its eye-popping cover featuring Josephine Baker in a stunning pose. Inside, the book outlines the lives of other Renaissance icons, to include: Walter White, Zora Neale Hurston, A’Lelia Walker, James Weldon Johnson, Ethel Waters, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, Jessie Fauset, Nella Larsen, Florence Mills, Duke Ellingnton, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Carl Van Vechten, Langston Hughes, and Dorothy West. In the Introduction, the authors write about why they chose these individuals specifically: not only for the fact that they were some of the most prominent men and women of this Renaissance–irreverent, racy, painfully honest, and risk-takers in dangerous times–but also for another curious (to me) reason. According to the author, they were all united by three traits or “obsessions”: a life-long passion for learning, a fascination with the theme of “passing,” and a fixation with degrees of color. Their obsession and sometimes personal battles with their color threatened their authenticity and self image, but in the end, they were victorious, and emerged with a sense of pride. The backgrounds and stories of each are quite varied, but also united, I observed, by movement and leaving home at an early age. The book is divided into chapters which reflect this movement: the waves that emigrated from the south into Halem, Chicago, and Washington DC. The great migration which spawned this Renaissance is captured in a recent book, which has enjoyed great acclaim: The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson. I intend to put that one on my reading list. In the meantime, I can’t think of a better way to honor Black History Month than to pick up a copy of either of these works.
Update: The Howard County Public Library in Maryland is hosting Isabel Wilkerson to talk about her work on 2 May 2013. See information below: