How Did Alain Locke Influence The Harlem Renaissance

The Roaring Twenties were characterized by large growth economically and culturally in the United States. One example of the cultural growth that occurred was in Harlem, and it was called the Harlem Renaissance. Like the previous Renaissances of other countries, the Harlem Renaissance displayed a great growth in the arts. The Harlem Renaissance was not only an advancement of African American culture and art, but culture and art of the United States.
One person that supported the advancements of the arts was Alain Locke. He was an African American man that had been born in Philadelphia, in 1986. He eventually went to Harvard and received degrees in both literature and philosophy. He was obviously a very intelligent man, and very talented in the subjects that he studied. Eventually, once the time of the Harlem Renaissance begun, he became very active in it, since he was a scholar in literature and philosophy, which was evolving during that time period. During that time period, he supported African American authors and writers, giving a significant amount of praise to Zora Neale

It opened in 1912, with two stories, and the capability to seat 1,500 people. During the Harlem Renaissance, it was used often. This is because among the many arts that were growing in Harlem during the 1920s, theater and music were greatly affected. In terms of theater, the Lafayette Theater was employed by many African American actors, some of them belonging to the Lafayette players. Also, some big performers made it there, like Bessie Smith, Ethel Walters, Moms Mabley, and Duke Ellington. Duke Ellington, a famous jazz player, played there multiple times. He played there with Wilbur Sweatman’s band, and his own. The Lafayette Theater was able to support the growth of African American culture through theater and music (often jazz) during the Harlem