A 100-Year Revolution: The Harlem Renaissance
Trace the century-long cultural impact of the Harlem Renaissance across the Black diaspora in a panel discussion made up of writers, musicians and historians.
Acclaimed jazz talent development organisation Tomorrow’s Warriors hosts a panel including Bonnie Greer, Margaret Busby, Soweto Kinch and Kevin Le Gendre to discuss the origins of the Harlem Renaissance, exploring how the Black creative revolution in 1920s New York transformed the world, both then and now.
The Harlem Renaissance saw an explosion of literature, music, visual art, and intellectual thought that defined a new African American identity. Black artists, writers and musicians were taking control of their own narrative and through a movement that would grow to encompass and celebrate commonality of the cultural heritage of the African diaspora.
While the Harlem Renaissance inspired the music of Ellington, the writing of Zora Neale Hurston and the art of Aaron Douglas, it was never just an American phenomenon – it inspired a global Black consciousness.
Writers like Claude McKay (who was Jamaican) and thinkers like W.E.B. Du Bois had international influence, connecting Harlem to London, Paris and beyond. That legacy continues to inspire artists and activists across Britain.
The panel examines how Harlem’s cultural explosion influenced Black British identity, the impact of transatlantic artistic exchanges and the role of the creative arts in cultural solidarity.
This event is part of Tomorrow’s Warriors Presents Harlem Renaissance: A 100 Year Revolution. Supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a Donor Advised Fund, held at The Prism Charitable Trust.
Need to know
For your visit
This event is held at the Purcell Room Southbank Centre
The Purcell Room is located in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.
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