Comparing the Black Arts Movement and the Harlem Renaissance

When reading poems from the Black Arts Movement and the Harlem Renaissance, two in particular struck me as similar. “You Know” by Jayne Cortez and “The Cat and the Saxophone” by Langston Hughes were both striking in their uniqueness, but seem to fit together. These two poems in particular were written within the same stencil, just in different periods. Although these two poems are from different time periods, they are very similar. Both use multiple voices that interrupt the conversation of the poem. They both emulate a casual conversation in a friendly environment and bring the reader into a space familiar to the author. However, the poems are undeniably different. 

In general, though, poems from the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement are very different. The black Arts Movement had much more experimental poems. The form and language were often a rejection of European styles. Using free verse, experimental structure, writing phonetically, and even writing poems that aren’t meant to be enjoyable. They incorporated AAVE, confronted other poetic styles, and challenged mainstream norms and values. The Harlem Renaissance was more focused on getting black art into the mainstream, which at the time meant appealing to a white audience. Although they used some AAVE and Revolutionary styles for the time, they also often incorporated European structures. Poems from the Harlem Renaissance often read as if they were trying to convince white people of their validity. There is a desperation seen in Harlem Renaissance poems to be heard and understood that is completely flipped by the Black Arts Movement. Poets like Sonia Sanchez dared readers to understand and like their work. They didn’t want white people to read their poems because they no longer needed that validation to be let into the mainstream.

That rejection of white culture is the main difference between the Harlem Renaissance and Black Arts Movement poems. While they both focus on black cultural pride, the idea of loving being black was not taboo during the Black Arts Movement. The Harlem Renaissance opened doors for black people to be accepted into mainstream culture and for black and African heritage to be acknowledged. Black Arts poets would be offended if they were asked to conform to white culture or appeal to white audiences just to be recognized. For this reason, many Black Arts poets are still not as celebrated as Harlem Renaissance poets. White culture is still the default in America, so those who blatantly reject it are easy to write off as avant-garde or even sloppy in their work.

All in all, The Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement were very important periods in African American Literature, they had vastly different styles and objectives. Both sought to uplift black people and expose the world to black ideas, but they did so in very different ways. During the Harlem Renaissance, poets focused on getting black art into the mainstream and shedding light on traditional styles. The Black Arts Movement was much more focused on creating new and different art styles, calling for revolution, and empowering black voices without caring how white audiences received them.