One of the most influential periods in American History is the Harlem Renaissance, an intellectual, social, and artistic movement originating in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City. In this video from It’s Lit!, students will learn about literary icons from the Harlem Renaissance and explore how art is shaped by identity, culture, and society. Novels like Passing by Nella Larsen, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and the poetry of Langston Hughes were all written during this period and have become important pieces of the American literary canon. Still, when discussing this topic we tend to flatten the dynamic personalities and identities of the Black artists responsible for making this period so iconic.

Support materials include discussion questions and vocabulary. The resource also includes a writing activity where students write their own poem inspired by Langston Hughes’ popular poem "Harlem." Students can explore iconic figures of the Harlem Renaissance using the classroom jigsaw activity, and can create their own artwork collage that depict the Harlem Renaissance icons with a creative response extension.