FathersFootprints has developed a reputation for sharing the good and the bad associated with the Black experience. 2009 proved to be momentous for Black Americans for several reasons. Our countdown includes unexpected losses as well as unprecedented accomplishments. Our countdown is as follows: #10 Entertainment moguls Jay-Z and Beyone’ retained their title as Hollywood’s richest [...]
Archive for December, 2009
62. The Harlem Renaissance Series: Duke Ellington
Posted: December 27, 2009 in African American, Black entertainment, Black Pride, CultureTags: Big Band, Duke Ellington, Grammys, Harlem Renaissance, If It Ain't Got That Swing, Mood Indigo
The Harlem Renaissance cultural movement started between 1920 and 1930, and was spearheaded from the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, hence the name. It was also known by various other names like, the New Negro movement and the New Negro Renaissance. It marked the beginning of the African American literature along with its music, [...]
61. The Harlem Renaissance Series: Billie Holiday (Lady Sings the Blues)
Posted: December 14, 2009 in African American, Black entertainment, Black History, Black Pride, CultureTags: Apollo Theater, Billie Holiday, Harlem Renaissance, Lady Day
Although the Savoy Ballroom on Lenox Avenue was a renowned venue for swing dancing and jazz, immortalized in the popular song “Stompin’ At The Savoy”, the Apollo Theater has been the most lasting physical legacy of the Harlem Renaissance. The Apollo opened its doors on 125th Street on January 26, 1914, in a former burlesque [...]
60. The Harlem Renaissance Series: Claude McKay
Posted: December 9, 2009 in African American, Black entertainment, Black History, Black Pride, CultureTags: A Long Way from Home, Claude McKay, Negro Metropolis, The Harlem Renaissance
Claude McKay (September 15, 1890 – May 22, 1948) Claude McKay was born Festus Claudius McKay in Sunny Ville, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, the son of farmers. The youngest of eleven children, McKay was sent at an early age to live with his oldest brother, a schoolteacher, so that he could be given the best education [...]
59. The Harlem Renaissance Series: Langston Hughes
Posted: December 1, 2009 in African American, Black History, Black Pride, CultureTags: Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes, The Weary Blues poem
There are several critical writers that helped to birth and define the era known to us as the Black Literary Renaissance. In no particular order, the literary giants of that era included: 1) Zora Neale Hurston; 2) Langston Hughes; 3) Jesse Redman Fauset; 4) Walter White; 5) Claude McKay; and 6) Rudolph Fisher. Today’s feature [...]
