Before the 1900’s, many black writers followed the conventional style of writing that was used by whites.  In the early twentieth century, many blacks and European-Americans began to fight for racial equality which led to a change in the writing style of many blacks.  It now addressed political issues that often offended people of the opposite races in addition to other black people.  Additionally, many other black writers developed their own styles of writing.  Because this period of time marked a transition in the writing style of the writers in Harlem, the 1920’s symbolized the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance…

Many people spend most of their educational career without learning about any of these influential writers.  So when other writers, like Lorraine Hansberry, incorporate some of the themes from the works of these artists, many of us think that their thoughts and ideas are original.  It is important to have knowledge about these poets on this website, as well as the others of their time, and what made them become unknown to us.  For each poet, there is a biographical account of their childhood, education, adulthood, and the events that influenced their works.  Also included is a selected work by each writer.