1900-1929:
Progressive Era to New Era
Highlights
African American artists, actors, and writers led the battle
against intellectual and artistic bias. Between the Civil
War and World War I, and even during the deprivations of
the Great Depression, there was a great crescendo of African
American artistic expression in the period known as the "Harlem
Renaissance." Paintings, drawings, classical music,
jazz, blues, poetry, novels, plays, and dance abounded during
this era and won world acclaim.
People, Places and Events
- Louis Armstrong (1900-1971):
Jazz Giant, pioneered a new style of singing called "scat"
- James Baldwin (1924-1987):
Wrote his first and most famous novel, "Go Tell It
on the Mountain" published in 1953
Novelist,
Essayist, and Playwright
- Ralph Bunche (1904-1971):
First African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize
- Ella
Fitzgerald (1918-1996) [See second entry]:
Sang like a saxaphone and mastered a jazz singing technique
called "scat"
Jazz
Singer
- Althea Gibson (1927-): First
African American (male or female) to win a tennis championship
at Wimbledon
Tennis
Player
- William Christopher Handy (1873-1958):
Historically known as "Father of the Blues"
Jazz
and Blues Musician
- Billie Holiday (1914-1928):
Born Eleanora Fagan, she gave herself the stage name Billie
after Billie Dove, an early movie star.
Jazz
and Blues Singer
- Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972):
Historically known as the "Gospel Queen"
Gospel
Singer
- Leroy Robert 'Satchel' Paige (1906-1982):
Before Jackie Robinson, one of the very best baseball players
to take the mound in the twentieth century
Baseball
Pitcher
- Leontyne Price (1927- ): With
18 Grammy awards, a prima donna soprano acclaimed in most
circles as one of the finest opera singers of the 20th
century
Soprano
Operatic Singer
- Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856-1915):
In 1881, founded Tuskegee Institute for black students;
the first African American man ever to address a racially
mixed Southern audience.
Activitist
and Educator
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