Often imitated but never duplicated “The Mecca”  has been the inspiration for blacks in America for decades. Originally coined the “New Negro Movement, or the Great African American Migration, Harlem, NY has been the backbone of African-American struggles and successes. The name alone rings bells and brings a warmth that can only be explained by Harlem Renaissance poet, Langston Hughes in the poem titled Harlem: “What happens to a dream deferred? …..does it explode?”  Harlem was the birthplace of the “Black Nationalist Movement” orchestrated by the Great Marcus Garvey while also being center stage for world-renowned entertainers such as Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Louie Armstrong, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Jelly Roll Morton, and Josephine Baker to name a few. Harlem did not just embody a flair for entertainment but carried an intellectual community that was shown through scholars such as James Weldon Johnson, Zora Neale Hurston, W.E,B Dubois, and many others.This collection of individuals and ideologies created the resurgence of a once voiceless people to what now is revered as “The Harlem Renaissance.” This era of time was able to sustain itself by creating an economic engine that was centered around supporting and relying on people from within the community to create self-assured revenue streams to provide a financial lifeline in the Harlem community. While many attributes of the thriving culture of Harlem could not be ignored by their white counterparts, Harlem’s bustling entertainment community created a culture that was inclusive to affluent whites who were fans of the many forms of Black artistic expression.

This collection of individuals and ideologies created the resurgences of a once voiceless people to what now is revered as “The Harlem Renaissance.” This era of time was able to sustain itself by creating an economic engine centered around supporting and relying on people from within the community to create self-assured revenue streams to provide a financial lifeline in the Harlem community. While many attributes of the thriving culture of Harlem could not be ignored by Black’s White counterparts, Harlem bustling entertainment community created a culture that was inclusive to affluent whites who were fans of the many forms of Black artistic expression. Venues such as the Cotton Club, Apollo Theater, and The Savoy Ballroom catered to mixed crowds but The Cotton Club was a venue that only allowed Black entertainers to perform – not to mingle with affluent whites at the time. Ultimately, the more successful black musicians and entertainers who appealed to a mainstream audience moved their performances downtown.