January 9, 1946 Countee Cullen, Harlem Renaissance poet and novelist, died. Cullen was born Countee LeRoy Porter on March 30, 1903 in Louisville, Kentucky. At a very young age, he won many poetry contests and often had his winning works published. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1925 from New York University and […]
Tag Archives | Harlem Renaissance
September 6th in African American History – Allan Rohan Crite
September 6, 2007 Allan Rohan Crite, Harlem Renaissance painter, died. Crite was born March 20, 1910 in North Plainfield, New Jersey. He graduated from the Boston School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1936 and earned his Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Harvard University in 1968.
June 4th in African American History – Arna Wendell Bontemps
June 4, 1973 Arna Wendell Bontemps, poet and noted member of the Harlem Renaissance, died. Bontemps was born October 13, 1902 in Alexandria, Louisiana. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Pacific Union College in 1923 and moved to New York City to teach. In 1943, after graduating from the University of Chicago with a Masters […]
May 22nd in African American History – Claude McKay
May 22, 1948 Claude McKay, writer and poet, died. McKay was born September 15, 1889 in James Hill, Clarendon, Jamaica. He started writing poetry at the age of ten. McKay published his first book of poems, “Songs of Jamaica,” in 1912. McKay emerged as one of the first and most militant voices of the Harlem […]
May 15th in African American History – James Van Der Zee
May 15, 1983 James Van Der Zee, Harlem Renaissance photographer, died. Van Der Zee was born June 29, 1886 in Lenox, Massachusetts. As a child, he learned piano, violin, and art. He received his first camera at the age of 14 from a magazine promotion. After moving to New York City, Van Der Zee worked […]
April 21st in African American History – Robert Blackburn
April 21, 2003 Robert Blackburn, artist, printmaker and educator, died. Blackburn was born December 19, 1920 in Summit, New Jersey. As a teenager, he was mentored by several Harlem Renaissance artists, including Charles “Spanky” Alston and Augusta Savage. Blackburn studied lithography, etching, woodblock, and silk-screening at the WPA Harlem Community Art Center.
March 30th in African American History – Nathan Pinchback “Jean” Toomer
March 30, 1967 Nathan Pinchback “Jean” Toomer, poet and novelist, died. Toomer was born December 26, 1894 in Washington, D. C. Toomer attended six institutions of higher education between 1914 and 1917, studying agriculture, fitness, biology, sociology, and history but never earned a degree. After college, he published some short stories and served as principal […]