Purpose
Black students in the United States are not given many opportunities to learn about Black History or Black Literature. This site is meant to correct this educational gap. It is not a cure-all or fix for the educational system; it is a tool to educate on a particular moment in Black culture, known popularly as the Harlem Renaissance or the New Negro Era. This site is a free, fun source of education that is a gateway to a fascinating history.
Features
This site features a biographical overview of four women writers of the Harlem Renaissance, a quick timeline of major events, a glossary for vocabulary expansion, and a set of classroom tasks that educators can adapt as desired. The Bibliography feature is available for further reading and research purposes.
-
Who is the target audience for this website?The target audience is high school students (grades 9-12) but anyone can use this website. It is designed to be an introductory tool, so feel free to look around even if your high school days are long behind you!
-
What is available in the Classroom Curriculum?The Classroom Curriculum page provides interactive learning experiences for the classroom. It is meant to engage students with more research and analysis that the website cannot provide on its own. Although it is meant for educators to adapt for their classrooms, anyone can use the resources available on that page.
-
Why is the Glossary section so detailed?The Glossary section is meant to give theoretical definitions. Most glossaries give quick, easy definitions, but history and literature sometimes requires more theoretical ideas. Some of the terms used throughout the site may be completely unfamiliar to first-time users, and the Glossary is designed to alleviate the confusion. It is also a good source of further discussion research. I have left some of the definitions open-ended, so that users are inspired to work toward a better understanding for themselves.
-
How did you choose the sources in the Bibliography?This website is the result of my Master's thesis project. The bibliography is actually a compilation of my sources for the written portion of my thesis. The texts listed in the Bibliography section are organized by theme, and they are mostly college-level monographs (texts that focus on a special area of study). I chose to include these sources so that anyone who visits this website has the opportunity to further their education beyond the high school level. I don't believe in restricting a person's education, and for those who are comfortable reading at a college level, some of these sources are a good introduction to more advanced historical education.