The New Negro Movement Essay Example

Despite being emancipated from slavery, African Americans still faced discrimination and racial segregation in the early 20th Century. The African American image had been tinted especially in American art (Gates 129). The New Negro movement arose with the aim of restoring this image in the minds of the American people through art. This paper focuses on the New Negro Movement and discusses the issues surrounding it.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Prior to the movement, the American art was overwhelmed with exaggerated images that were discriminative to the blacks. These artistic works depicted the attitude of whites towards the blacks, as they perceived them as inferior human beings (Gates 131). The African Americans, therefore, were in a quest to restore their image, especially through art. Frederick Douglass, for instance, was a writer and orator whose contribution was felt in the recreation of the African American identity. Douglass was an example of the category of intellectual blacks who represented the 'New Negro identity'. The new image was, thus, a contrast to the previous negative image that had lingered in the minds of the American people.

According to Locke (2), the African Americans were being transformed from individuals who had been socially intimidated to ones who had an understanding of their real identity. The New Negro Movement was like a wake-up call that stirred up the expression of the African American community through art, poetry, education, and a new attitude. Locke emphasizes the metamorphosis of blacks from slaves to individuals who equally contributed to society as the whites. The 'New Negro' is not abashed by the social inequality that exists but has confidence in his real self. The transformation is, therefore, an aspect of freedom for the African Americans.

The new period of Negro identity is one that African Americans seek justice through a different perspective (Locke 3). The 'New Negro' has a more positive mindset which is aimed at reshaping the negative social perspective towards the black race. It is a dynamic phase where African Americans seek acceptance of their culture and heritage (Locke 6).Their talented individuals are also in search of avenues to exhibit their artistic products. Their achievement, therefore, will contribute to understanding and better relations between the two races.

The New Negro movement influenced different constituencies variedly. The common people, for example, had little or no multi-racial interactions, hence, experienced racial disparities (Locke 3). This was mainly depicted in the Northern cities where laborers from different races barely interacted. The businessmen too had the same experience, as inter-racial contacts were rare. The intellectuals, on the other hand, were showing interest in the African American culture and were then studying it. Finally, the media was contributing to the free expression of the African Americans (Locke 5). This was witnessed in 'The Harlem', a Negro newspaper, and two magazines that disseminated news widely. Hence, despite the challenge of racial bias, the intellectuals, and the media contributed to curbing the racial prejudices in society.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the New Negro Movement was aimed at restoring the African American image in American society. Prior to this, the African Americans had been regarded as an inferior race and this was depicted in American art. A class of black intellectuals and artists such as Frederick Douglass and Alain Locke contributed to this transformation. The 'New Negro identity' was characterized by a new mindset which stood firm against social intimidation.

Works cited

Gates Jr, Henry Louis. "The Trope of a New Negro and the Reconstruction of the Image of the Black." Representations 24.1 (1988): 129-155.

Locke, Alain. "Enter the New Negro. Survey Graphic (1925): 1-8." National Humanities Center (2014).