The Artist Of Brownstones By Jacob Lawrence

The beginning of the 20th century many African Americans migrated from the south to the north in what we call today, the Great Migration. Many African Americans found themselves in a district of New York City called Harlem. The area known as Harlem matured into the hideaway of jazz and the blues where the African American artist emerged calling themselves the “New Negro.” The New Negro was the cornerstone for an era known today as the Harlem Renaissance (Barksdale 23). The Harlem Renaissance warranted the expression of the double consciousness of the African Americans, which was exposed by artists such as Langston Hughes. James Mercer Langston Hughes was an African American poet, journalist, playwright, and novelist whose works were

In March book 2, author and activist, John Lewis, delivered a speech on August 28, 1963. Before John Lewis delivered his speech, there was a lot of ciaos occurring backstage about revising Lewis’ speech. Mr. Randolph wasn’t pleased with the way John Lewis worded parts of his speech and demanded for him to change it. After Lewis negotiated with Mr. Randolph, Lewis was still content with the arrangement of his speech. Lewis confronts his sentiments to the people regarding racial inequality. He emphasizes on the unfair acts that are implemented among the African American working class. John Lewis states, “While we stand here, there are sharecroppers in the Delta of Mississippi who are out in the fields working for less than three dollars a day, twelve hours a day” (Lewis Aydin 166). In this statement, Lewis explains his reasoning for assembling his speech. His objective was to arouse the public on the realism of the nation’s unjust behavior towards African Americans. Lewis explains the march on Washington is occurring because blacks don’t receive the same wages as whites. Lewis declares, “We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now” (Lewis Aydin 169). He proclaims that African Americans have been fighting for their freedom long enough and they are not willing to be patient. With his skillful use of appeals, Lewis applies powerful logos to illustrate racism, emotional pathos to connect with the audience, and ethos to appeal to the segregation and discrimination towards African Americans.

One the most distinguished artists of the twentieth century, Jacob Lawrence was born in Atlantic City and spnt part of his child hood in Pennsylvania. After his parents split up in 1924, he went with his mother and siblings to New York, settling in Harlem. "He trained as a painter at the Harlem Art Workshop, inside the New York Public Library's 113 5th Street branch. Younger than the artists and writers who took part in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, Lawrence was also at an angle to them: he was not interested in the kind of idealized, fake-primitive images of blacks - the Noble Negroes in Art Deco guise - that tended to be produced as an antidote to the toxic racist stereotypes with which white popular culture had flooded

Another central component of Dr. King’s persona is his desire to remain pacifistic in his exhibitions. He accentuates the “workshops on nonviolence and… repeatedly asked… ‘Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?’” (42). The posture that is depicted here informs the viewers that there was no intent to instigate physical abuse or violence at any of the peaceful demonstrations that were organized in Birmingham. After establishing himself as peaceful in his actions, Dr. King is assertive in his demands of reconstruction, stating that “Non-violent direct action seeks to create … a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue” (42). Through the founding of this hard-felt tension, Dr. King aims to convince the “white moderates” (47) and the clergy that now is the time for negotiations. The elongated excuses and complacency for the longstanding social classification have come to pass and now time had arrived to rise to the occasion.

In the chapter,” Prisoners of Hope” Cornel West argues that black America is a despite state of inequality and corruption that’s jeopardizing the quality of life for the blacks. He focuses on the escalation of wealth inequality and class polarization to emphasize his argument with solid evidence. West gives a brief description of America as a mother whose care is eroding and being replaced by injustice all in the means of financial satisfactory for the elite. He begins by examining the struggles of the middle class through their fear of further underemployment and unemployment. West gives historical context for the need to speak up for equality through inspiring stories of Martin Luther king Jr. and Rosa Parks. On page 296, West says “We’ve forgotten that a rich life consists fundamentally of serving others, trying to leave the world a little better than you found it” trying to advocate the message that we should be helping each other make the world better, helping our race stand as one and advance as one. However, the oppression of black by white supremacists is slowing the process of advancement, rather its placing Blacks in an absurd situation, one where their anger is manifesting as physical violence. His strong call for action in the name of justice is emphasized in the tone and her use of important people who have made a contribution toward equality for blacks c, such as Malcolm X and Mohamed Ali.

Martin Luther King Jr. once stated “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now”. King’s basis was racial equality for all Americans. King spoke in many places throughout the United States from 1963 until 1968 when he was assassinated. He fought for African Americans’ rights when no one else would. Ultimately, he enlisted the support of white Americans and eventually won rights for the African American people, but sadly it was not until the 1970’s, two years after King’s assassination, that black people were finally able to enjoy the rights King helped win with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These rights would not have been possible without King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” which he wrote in compliance to the white clergy calling his civil disobedience “untimely and unwise.” The civil disobedience the white clergy is talking about is the one that he and many other activists including children were arrested for protesting without a permit. Although King wields a plethora of appeals and devices, pathos and allusion are the most powerful because these play on the audience's guilt and reference related historical events that denounce the oppressors’ racist ways.

Society seems to change and advance so rapidly throughout the years but there has always seemed to be a history, present, and future when it comes to the struggles of the African Americans. The hatred of a skin tone has caused people to act in violent and horrifying ways including police brutality, riots, mass incarcerations, and many more. There are three movements the renaissance, civil rights, and the black lives matter movements that we have focused on. Our artist come from different eras but have at least one similarity which is the attention on black art.

When King begins talking about the hardships African Americans went through he uses repetition to show the severity of segregation in the city of Birmingham. “...when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers...when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters…” By repeating the

Fighting for freedom is fighting a war where there are no treaties or compromises. Yet the bloody truth is that in the end there is only one victor. In the Letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. eloquently brings to the forefront of the readers mind that not only is it time for this particular war, but it is long pass due. The brutal truth of this letter written in the margins of a newspaper spun from a web of lies shows the need for action in the aspect of freedom and prosperity. Not only does King rally together a group of people with the many allusions to how past always repeats itself but the indispensable references to authorities that effect everyone and the heart wrenching use of pathos keep the reader enticed to go onto

The miraculous life of Jacob Lawrence’s is said to be the most distinguished and accomplished African American Artist of his time. At a young age, Little Jacob Lawrence was introduced to art in Harlem, New York. He had always had a love for the arts, He began to develop his craft at an after-school program and further moving on to the Harlem Art Workshop then securing a scholarship to the American Artists School located in New York. He had the odds stacked against him; he further perfected his art during the great depression years which also at a time when African Americans had a harsh struggle with segregation and just trying to stay alive. His paint brush has captured everything from slave revolts to ghetto life to the destruction of the war.

During the beginning of the twentieth century, there was a “Great Migration” of African Americans from the southern part of our country to the northern areas. The journey North was made in order to escape racial inequalities and injustices as well as to find employment. There was a sudden population boom to an area of New York City known as Harlem. “The Harlem Renaissance was a result of the cultural, social, and artistic explosion that occurred just after World War I to the middle of the 1930s” (Harlem Renaissance). The amazing writers, musicians, and artists which emerged during this “renaissance” had a profound effect on the way society viewed racism and racial discriminations and also paved the way for the Civil Rights Movement years

Imagine a life without art. Jacob Lawrence allowed his horrific experiences in Harlem, and life's misfortunes to enable him to become one the most recognized African American artists ever. “During his early childhood, Jacob was surrounded by art and attended an art school which influenced his passion” (James Lawrence Biography). Furthermore, his experience with segregation and racial bias helped influence many of his most famous pieces of art. Lastly, Jacob Lawrence's artwork helped influence and usher in an era of change in the African-American community and continues to influence African American change today.

John Brown’s famous quote,“Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments.” This means that John was willing to fight for what he believed was necessary and a huge problem in the world and John needed to do something about it. So this is about how John fought for what he believed in and about how somethings are worth dieing for.

At times, it is not always about fighting or going to war, but it is about going to war with the problem and making the decision that you can affect the problem. African-Americans only thought violence was the way to get their point across, but everyone has to be on the same page. Even today with police brutality all these riots, and violent behavior is not going to bring change in the world because we need to have one mindset. Our society is dealing with modern slavery and we have to find a way to obtain a resolution on how our black males can stop getting murdered or mass incarcerated. African Americans need to step up as individuals because they cannot rely on the leaders of the past. If the young of the African-American society read this poem it can give them the drive the need in order to lead a successful revolution which will be done the right way. The young males of society can plan accordingly based on what they know. In society today we have artists who write on the African-American problems now and those words are powerful. Gil Scott-Heron has inspired those people because the African-American society wants change to be brought

Our human experiences are shown in many different ways, including through art. Kerry James Marshall was born in Birmingham, Alabama, 1955. The civil rights movement was in his hometown. He was a witness to Watts rebellion in 1965. His father was a postal worker who liked to buy fancy broken watches. Kerry’s father, after the bombing of the four girls, moved the family to Los Angeles. When Kerry went to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, he saw that there were no African-American artist, nor African-American paintings. Kerry thought that the story of these people should be told too.