DC Black Arts Movement: Harlem Connection
Are you aware of the significant contribution that Washington, D.C. made to the Black Arts Movement (Harlem Renaissance) of the 1920's? It was 1923 and the wounds of slavery were still infected. A movement to showcase the resilience and creativity of a people was just the thing to help in the healing process. Two Washingtonians come to mind when I think of Washington, D.C. during the Renaissance and they were composer, Jazz pianist, and bandleader, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington and writer, Jean Toomer. I am especially proud of Duke Ellington because he formed a group in 1923 called the W ashingtonians that stormed Harlem that year. The name of the group was not especially creative, but it certainly showed that the Duke's heart was still in Washington. Duke and his band eventually landed a gig in the famous Cotton Club on December 4, 1927. Their popularity soared afterward s and secured them a place in Jazz history. In 1923, Jean Toomer impressed the literary wo...