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Problems African Americans Faced During The Harlem Renaissance

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The Harlem Renaissance was a period that greatly focused on the arts. African Americans were among the top influencers of the artistic movement of the Harlem Renaissance. African American playwrights and actors began to gain recognition and opened a door into theater for other African Americans. Among the most influential artists in theater in the Harlem Renaissance were Regina Anderson, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Willis Richardson, and Paul Robeson. These pioneers of African American theater paved the way for future African American acting companies, and they used theater as a means to reflect the current issues that African Americans faced during the Harlem Renaissance.
Major cities built theaters where audiences would gather to enjoy live …show more content…

As they entered cities, they brought their culture and the history of their enslaved ancestors with them. The Harlem Renaissance existed in a time of segregation, lynching, and oppression. Therefore, African Americans would eventually use theater as a medium to share their culture, raise awareness of the issues they faced, and promote civil …show more content…

A Poetry Foundation article, “Georgia Douglas Johnson,” remarked upon Johnson’s talents as a writer, poet, and playwright. In 1926, Johnson’s play, Blue Blood, was performed, and a year later Plumes was put into production. The accomplished writer was another inspiration to both women and African Americans, proving that both could be successful in the theatre industry. Moreover, the African American Registry published an article, “Willis Richardson, Playwright of Black History,” which claimed Willis Richardson to be another accomplished playwright of the Harlem Renaissance. Inspired at a young age, Richardson had developed a passion for writing. His plays were used in African American Drama. In 1930 he produced an anthology, a collection of plays, called, “Plays and Pageants form the Life of the Negro.” His collection consisted of plays written by African Americans. Additionally, he produced many successful plays such as The Chip Woman’s Fortune, which had thirty-one performances. He has been referred to as the “Father of Black

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