‘Artists are still crossing those boundaries’: The legacy of the Harlem Renaissance

Black Excellence: A Portrait of Purpose and Legacy

Black excellence is a concept treasured by many, guarded by the elite few, and mythologized in our culture today. This term rings in the back of our heads when we discuss the Civil Rights Movement and its leaders, present the ultimatum about taking $10,000 or having dinner with Jay-Z, and when we talk about escaping poverty and diminishing the racial wealth gap in America. The post Black Excellence: A Portrait of Purpose and Legacy appeared firs…

The Legends Who Helped Shape Black Culture at Essence Magazine

The author honors the legacy of several late Essence pioneers whose contributions to Black culture remain unforgettable.Read more...

This groundbreaking story about gay Black love helped shape the Harlem Renaissance

Richard Bruce Nugent spent much of his life creating art that refused easy definitions. He wrote fiction, painted, illustrated books, designed costumes, acted on stage, and moved through the creative circles that transformed Harlem into the center of Black artistic life during the 1920s. Although he worked alongside some of the most celebrated figures of the Harlem Renaissance, Nugent never achieved the same level of recognition. That relative o…

‘Artists are still crossing those boundaries’: The legacy of the Harlem Renaissance

You can't tell the story of art and social change without visiting the brilliant minds of the Harlem Renaissance. For Dr. Minkah Makalani, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University, that's an area of particular interest and scholarship. He joins us to illustrate how the co-mingling of art and politics was present then, and draw a throughline to how artists and creators interact with our polit…

Acute Inflections to Bring Harlem Renaissance-Inspired Show to Charleston

Acute Inflections, a New York City-based music and comedy duo featured on HBO and Amazon, is bringing its signature show, Soulful Sounds in Charleston, to the Park Circle Community Building on Friday, Aug. 28.