Story Behind The People and Event That Started The Harlem Renaissance

On March 21, 1924, a group of Black and white artists and intellectuals got together at New York’s Civic Club for a dinner party to celebrate author Jessie R. Fauset’s debut novel, “There is Confusion.” Organizers Charles S. Johnson and Alain Locke thought bringing these brilliant minds together – while generally unheard of – would provide Black artists with new opportunities and inspire a creative movement.

And they were right. After that event, the Harlem Renaissance began and established New York City as a cultural mecca. Publications like The Crisis, the magazine of the NAACP, Opportunity, produced by the National Urban League and The Messenger, provided Black creatives with a variety of outlets for their work. The movement also inspired over 40 works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry by Black writers that continue to be an important part of Black culture today.

These are the people (and the place) that were influential in launching the Harlem Renaissance.