Joseph Ekutshu - Significance of NY Urban Geography lyrics

During the Great Migration that took place from 1910 to 1970, millions of African Americans fled from the south and moved north in search of the American dream. New York was one of the main destinations for these southern migrants and there is where they ushered in the creative revolution known as the Harlem Renaissance. For over a decade black writers, poets, musicians, and artists flocked to Harlem, New York; making it the ideal location for the artistically inclined African American. New York urban geography is important because it was there that African American artists, writers, and musicians achieved commercial success in their crafts. The Harlem renaissance was responsible for the success of poets such as Langston Hughes, musicians such as Louis Armstrong, and artists such as Aaron Douglas. 1. Pride- This term relates to African American literature that conveyed a sense nationalism for the place that they were from. For example in James Weldon's poem "My City" he shows the pride that he has in the city of Manhattan by including lines such as "To be dead, and never again behold my city!" https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSYDQT-yUXOdRpioSroByoJIAYWZ9jqq6zoZYv-vaM0G-0H2I7I 2. Optimism- Many southern African Americans moving from the south to the north believed that they would find it better with better opportunities. Langston Hughes conveys a sense of Optimism in his Poem titled "I too" where he writes, "Tomorrow,I'll be at the table When company comes." which means he will soon be respected and appreciated. https://janeymackenstreet.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/fingers-crossed.jpg 3. Irony- Although many blacks where leaving the south during the great migration in order to find a better life, It was very ironic to see that life was also hard for them in the north some were still poor and unappreciated. Paul Laurence Dunbar's satire titled "The 4th of July & Racist Outrages" talks about the Irony of how blacks celebrate independence day when they have yet to receive their independence from the whites. http://40.media.tumblr.com/ba5d476a4cf4535468afb455d2fb465e/tumblr_n8771buyjb1rfgmbqo1_1280.jpg 4. Turmoil- Many of the short stories that we have read so far involve lots of Turmoil within the African American community that leads to some type of terrible ending. For example in James Baldwin's short story Sonny's Blues, Sonny's whole life is in Turmoil. First he drops out of school, fakes his age to go to the navy, and also becomes hooked on h**n. Other Turmoil's in the short story are the d**hs of his niece and his uncle who was ran over by white men. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/5a/41/6f/5a416faf8e484c49e9cfc802e3d2f867.jpg 5. Escapism- In order to escape the harsh conditions of being African American during that time period, blacks would suppress their troubled lives by finding everyday escapes. Places such speak easies provided for blacks a place to be around their kind and enjoy their own culture through jazz music. In his short story "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" Henry Dumas depicts one of these speak easy kind of clubs and cleverly suggests that their only meant for blacks, when in the story the whites who go inside die because they apparently cant handle the feeling of the music. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/3d/24/d4/3d24d47b82a9df405c18171b2b2b8f72.jpg 6. Migration- This term is by far the most important because many African Americans were risking their lives escaping from slave masters and migrating from the south to the north which ultimately resulted in the renaissance of black culture. Frederick Douglas in his autobiography goes into detail about his migration from Maryland where he was a slave to New York city where he became free and began working as an abolitionist. http://faculty.washington.edu/gregoryj/diaspora/images/illus-1.2-river-rouge%20cr360.jpg