Art In The Civil Rights Movement

American historian, author, and educator, Nathan Huggins criticized the movement saying, “whose sensibilities, tastes, and interests were being served by such art, the patron or the patronized?” Huggins doubted the value or merit of the art in his discourse, “When it is racial, there is, at first, the suspicion that the patron values negro-ness, not the art.”

finally stood and fought for their rights. The Civil Rights Movement took place in the

June Jordan’s poem, “Poem about my rights” is about a woman who is describing her experiences and the unremittent concern for basic human rights for males and females. It is a personal and emotional poem about her view of the world and how change is needed. Although majority of the poem is written about how Jordan’s basic rights were not given, the poem also includes sections at which the reader sees the need for equal basic rights for both male and female is needed. This essay will comprise of my response to the poem, both as a poem and an oral performance. Throughout the poem Jordan uses repetition and in the oral performance uses her voice to enhance her message and feelings. The poem was written in a time where black people and women were dehumanized where those in power abused the power to gain more and those without power were continuously affected by it. Reading the poem and had an impact on me with the dictation of lexis, however all of these feelings were heightened when I listened to the oral performance.

The Roaring Twenties has another name, in fact. The 1920’s can be referred to as The Jazz Age. The 1920’s was a time for African American’s to express themselves through many different art forms. The Great Migration is what caused many chain events that led to the Jazz Age. The Great Migration brought a tremendous amount of African Americans from the rural south to the urban north. Most, if not all, of these African Americans left the rural south due to the lack of economic opportunities, and harsh laws against them. They were intrigued to move to cities in the North because of the better pay they would receive for less work than they were doing in the South, a higher standard of living conditions, better political rights and to take

African Americans face a struggle with racism which has been present in our country before the Civil War began in 1861. America still faces racism today however, around the 1920’s the daily life of an African American slowly began to improve. Thus, this time period was known by many, as the “Negro Fad” (O’Neill). The quality of life and freedom of African Americans that lived in the United States was constantly evolving and never completely considered ‘equal’. From being enslaved, to fighting for their freedom, African Americans were greatly changing the status quo and beginning to make their mark in the United States. They have endured severe oppression and racism for many years and suffered under Jim Crow Laws as well which were created specifically

The Civil Rights Movement started in 1954 and continued until 1968. The Civil Rights Movement was a strive for the rights and the freedoms that African Americans had been given, but taken away from by things such as the Jim Crow Laws and segregation. The Civil Rights Movement had goals of gaining equal rights but also making the fundamental documents that America had been constructed upon to be true for everyone in America. These fundamental documents include the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. With the want of these goals comes about change, an impact, and a response, and the Civil Rights Movement impacted America by gaining the civil rights for African Americans, starting the integration of schools, and also bringing

1965, a year which started the most substantial cultural movement in United States history: The Civil Rights Movement. This movement served as a catalyst for equality between White and African Americans. After years of suppression, African Americans took a stand against white suppression, fighting for equality to be placed on the same plane of the social hierarchy. At the time, African Americans lived as socially lower beings in comparison to white people based solely on the lack of sameness. Of course, this lack of sameness is not something they could change. One race cannot simply defy nature and transform into a completely different race. The blacks were not only aware of this fact, but they also embraced it and pushed for equal rights.

The Civil Rights Movement was the movement that changed history for the African Americans. They had been struggling for many decades to be able to vote and now they can. They have faced the struggles of being ostracized from society, being sold, born, and forced into slavery. They were not liked well when they were apart of anything dealing with politics. The Civil Rights Movement was a successful movement in terms of helping the African Americans. The Civil Rights Movement helped the African Americans gain their ability to vote, there wasn’t anymore discrimination, and they had equal rights.

Music is not only used to capture peoples hearing but it is used to power peoples minds through the power of an individuals voice. Music served a critical role in the African American’s lives, as it was used to uplift their spirits as well as providing them with hope and strength to fight for civil rights and overcome segregation between white superiority and the unfair treatment of the inferior black.

I am also inspired by the methodologies in this book. The author surveys and quotes a considerable amount of private diaries/letters, as well as newspapers, magazines, and theater advertisements. The amount of work that the author did to convey his argument is impressed. And fist hand materials, including diaries, advertisements, and news reports are more convincing and easier to be understood. This methodology helps a wider reader group to digest the author 's argument, which is especially helpful for readers that have little knowledge on art history or the history of America.

The 1920s and 30s was a very important time period for African Americans. This was a period of enlightenment, opening up many new doors for talented African American musicians, poets, and artists. There were many artists during this time, but Aaron Douglas was special because not only did he incorporate African art in this work, his work was very inspirational to people of all cultures. His work was a wonderful example of the New Negro movement. He responded to the need for African American writers, artists, and intellectuals to embrace their cultural heritage and define their own collective personhood through the arts. Also known as the father of African American art, Aaron Douglass played one of the leading roles in the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. (Earle, Susan 2007)

Historically, the Civil Rights Movement was a time during the 1950’s and 1960’s to eliminate segregation and gain equal rights. Looking back on all the events, and vital figures it produced, this explanation is very unclear. In order to fully understand the Civil Rights Movement, you have to go back to its beginning. Most people believe that Rosa Parks began the whole civil rights movement. She did in fact move the Civil Rights Movement to groundbreaking heights but its origin began in 1954 with Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka. Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka was the foundation for change in American History as a whole. Some may argue that Plessy vs. Ferguson is in fact backdrop for the Civil Rights Movement, but I disagree. Plessy

The Harlem Renaissance was in many ways, an incredibly liberating time for the African-American community. African Americans came together as artists, poets, painters, and musicians and conveyed their struggles through the arts. They formed a community around the intense bond they shared from a history of slavery to the daily segregation that came with being an African-American during the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance is commonly known as a pivotal point for African-Americans finally feeling free enough to openly express themselves, but this wasn’t the case for everyone. Many museums refused to display art created by African-Americans and some schools refused to consider granting African-American students scholarships entirely due to their race. Aaron Douglas, a painter, is a perfect example of an artist trying to display the oppression and unfairness around him through his artwork.

African Americans have played a significant role in the field of visual arts and also in other artworks. Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) and Kara Walker (1969 -) serve among the most recognized African American visual artists for their contribution. The artists are connected with their ability in expressing a message that has a lasting interest that results from their American experience. The personal experience of African Americans tends to differ from that of other communities in the U.S thus promoting their works to possess some aspects associated with their history (Philips Collection Organization, 2001). Furthermore, individual experiences of the artists tend to reflect and influence the direction of their work. The paper presents a comparative

5,6) the issues that have been mentioned above are expressed. Since, especially black women, are considered to be living in the shadow this passage exposes the feelings and representation of black women in society. Their existence in the world which is not considered and respected. Considering especially the fact that the lyrical I is a black maiden, she seeks for recognition and acceptance among the other figures of the poem. Referring to contemporary issues, the lyrical I would be classified as a lower ranked person since she is black and being occupied as a maid, which clearly makes her powerless and voiceless in society.