The New Negro Essay

Standard narratives of early twentieth-century African American history credit the Great Migration of southern blacks to northern metropolises for the emergence of the new negro, an educated, upwardly mobile sophisticate very different from his forebears. However, this conventional history overlooks the cultural accomplishments of an earlier generation.

The New Negro is a literary and artistic movement that emerged in the 1920s, and was credited with redefining African Americans' sense of self. It was characterized by an aggressive willingness to defend African-American communities against white racism, a desire to celebrate Black achievements, and a spirit of counterrepresentation.

In order to understand the New Negro, scholars must address the way the race was represented in the media. The negro's image was often depicted as a hero, a victim, or a villain.

These images of the negro were also used to promote and legitimize a particular political agenda in the United States. In addition, these images were used as symbols of racial progress, and to demonstrate the negro's superiority over whites.

The "New" Negro was a figurative figure that was a product of social, economic, and political conditions. It was created, in part, through a process of appropriation by whites and, in part, through the efforts of black artists.

One of the most prominent images of the new negro was a "heroic" negro, one who would stand up to the oppression of his race. This was the image that people like Booker T. Washington fought to create and the image that was reflected in the artwork of the time.

Washington's portrait of the negro is an example of this style. It is tall and powerful, erect and commanding, with an expressive face and a penetrating eye.

His broad forehead and firm chin show that the negro of today is much more advanced than his forebears were thirty years ago. He is the man of the future, and he has been given this name because he has risen so high in the history of his race.

A hero negro is a negro who stands up for his people, and in doing so, challenges the dominant culture to do the same. This is a necessary prerequisite for any African American to succeed in this country.

The negro's heroism is a metaphor for the strength and resolve that blacks had to overcome in order to survive. This strength and resolve were evident in the negro's willingness to fight for his people during the 1920s race riots, in his support of Black military service during World War I, and in his defense of Black communities against attacks by white racists.

Unlike traditional narratives of the new negro, which focus on a specific demographic, Locke's text provides a more comprehensive picture of this movement. He traces the development of the movement through the lives and works of its key players.

As a result, Locke's book becomes a critical resource for scholars of the 1920s and beyond. It helps to disentangle the way that the new negro was viewed and presented in the media, and to understand how this movement was defined by its participants. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the new negro and its role in shaping African American literature and culture.