Harlem Renaissance Party

We had such a good time learning about Jazz Artists last year (Our List of Jazz Artists post) and my returning students are excited to share some of this music with their classmates! There are also lots of new people to learn about. We will be reading Faith Ringgold's book Harlem Renaissance Party next week to kick off the topic.

Josephine Baker, Still Moving
The New York Times - Jan 30, 2024

With ‘Gems’ From Black Collections, the Harlem Renaissance Reappears
The New York Times - Feb 18, 2024

Six Artists Reflect on the Legacy of the Harlem Renaissance
The New York Times - Feb 18, 2024

The Dinner Party That Started the Harlem Renaissance
The New York Times - Mar 21, 2024

When Harlem Was ‘as Gay as It Was Black’
The New York Times - Oct 9, 2024

Here is the complete list of people Ringgold includes in her book:

Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong (b.1901)

Josephine Baker (b.1906)

Richmond Barthé (b.1901)

Aaron Douglas (b.1899)

W.E.B. Du Bois (b.1868)

Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller (b.1877)

Marcus Garvey (b.1887)

Coleman Hawkins (b.1904)

Fletcher Henderson (b.1897)

Langston Hughes (b.1902)

Zora Neale Hurston (b.1891)

May Jackson (b.1877)

Jack Johnson (b.1878)

William H. Johnson (b.1901)

Alain Locke (b.1885)

Florence Mills (b.1896)

Paul Robeson (b.1898)

Augusta Savage (b.1892)

Henry O. Tanner (b.1859)

Madam C. J. Walker (b.1867)

Carter G. Woodson (b.1875)

I'm really looking forward to the second month of our study of Faith Ringgold, and the Harlem Renaissance is such a rich topic! The children love sitting and sewing on their Story Quilts each afternoon. We always read a story each day (and now we will have music to listen to) with new people to learn about and new things to think and chat about while we work together.

UPDATE:

Here are the books we read for this topic, in order:

WEEK ONE

Harlem Renaissance Party
by Faith Ringgold

The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson




Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library
by Carole Boston Weatherford





WEEK TWO

Just a Lucky So and So: The Story of Louis Armstrong
by Lesa Cline-Ransome




Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa
by Andrea Pinkney




Jazz Age Josephine
by Jonah Winter




Harlem's Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills
by Renée Watson





WEEK THREE

Mister and Lady Day: Billie Holiday and the Dog Who Loved Her
by Amy Novesky

Who Owns the Sun?
by Stacy Chbosky

Henry Ossawa Tanner: His Boyhood Dream Comes True
by Faith Ringgold


WEEK FOUR

Love to Langston
by Tony Medina




Soul Looks Back in Wonder
edited by Tom Feelings
"To You" by Langston Hughes




Poetry Speaks to Children book & CD
edited by Elise Paschen
"The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes
introduced and read by the poet, tracks 15 & 16




Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston
by Alicia D. Williams




All Stuck Up
retold by Linda Hayward

NOTE: I just found another poem by Langston Hughes in my collection! "Subway Rush Hour" is on p.16 of Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems edited by Paul B. Janeczko.

This post contains affiliate links to materials I truly use for homeschooling. Qualifying purchases provide me with revenue. Thank you for your support!