On Tuesday, February 24, we celebrated Black History Month by reading poems from the Harlem Renaissance. The event began with an eloquent introduction by Professor Myronn Hardy (excerpted below):

“The Harlem Renaissance, 1918 to the mid 1930s was a time of
blossoming, a balm of Black visual art, music, scholarship, and
literature.  It was a moment, within a neighborhood in America’s
largest city, that shaped American culture, extended its reach
throughout the country, throughout the African diaspora, as well as
the world.  Its influence continues to shape who we are, what art is,
what poetry is, and can be.”

Our program then included readings of the following works from this rich cultural movement:

“What Do I Care for Morning” by Helene Johnson
“Theft” by Esther Popel
“Stars in Alabama” by Jessie Redmon Fauset
“To a Certain Lady, in Her Garden” by Sterling A. Brown
“Length of Moon” by Arna Bontemps
“Lenox Avenue: Midnight” by Langston Hughes

“Nameless” by Mae Cowdery
“Heritage” by Countee Cullen
“Solace” by Clarissa Scott Delany
“Georgia Dusk” by Jean Toomer
“If We Must Die” by Claude McKay

Highlights of our presenters:

A huge thank you to Professor Hardy for organizing this wonderful event, and to our students and staff for bringing the poems to life through their readings.