During the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and ‘70s African American people exerted their artistic potential. The movement was full of black excellence across many spectrums, but most articles only mention three parts of the movement: the work of Amiri Baraka, the poets and jazz music. What’s missing from the narrative is visual arts and dance.
Hannah Foster, author of “Black Past,” begins by describing Amiri Baraka, as he’s seen as the “Father of the Black Arts Movement.” She proceeds to write about how jazz musicians such as John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Archie Shepp and others were celebrated.
Hannah Foster, author of “Black Past,” begins by describing Amiri Baraka, as he’s seen as the “Father of the Black Arts Movement.” She proceeds to write about how jazz musicians such as John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Archie Shepp and others were celebrated.
For an article dedicated to the understanding of African American history, I’m surprised that there isn't more discussion of other parts of the movement. For example, a Google Images search of “Black Arts Movement” yields a lot of artistic drawings. Yet, the drawing aspect of the movement is barely mentioned in articles that cover this topic.
Non-profit website Poets.org mentions Baraka and his significance because they also view him as an important figure. The website focuses on the poetry aspect of the Black Arts Movement because “poetry was the genre that saw the most expansion and growth at the time.” The site shares information about Baraka and his poems, but it fails to acknowledge other important aspects of the movement such as the transformation of art or women's role in exhibiting the black aesthetic.
Learning about the Black Arts Movements solely through the lens of writing, men and music is bad because it is a limited perspective. I find it saddening that only these aspects of the Black Arts Movement are displayed. Many sources accuse the movement of sexism, but these sources also exclude female artists who strived to make the Black Arts Movement even more popular.
I could only find one article that focused on another type of art: painting. In “Widewalls,” notable journalist Patina Lee explores theater, dancing and drawing. For example, Lee mentions Jeff Donaldson, who was a respected artist known for his “Wall Of Respect” mural. Lee writes that he was “one of the most prolific visual authors.” If it weren’t for this article, I would have never learned about the art and theatre parts of the Black Arts Movement. If we are to learn about something as encouraging and powerful as the Black Arts Movement, I would want to learn every aspect of it. Wouldn’t you?
Why aren't we learning about the Black Arts Movement in its entirety? Firstly, sexism was much more prevalent in the ‘60s. Women, in general, were looked down upon by men and males were seen as the dominant gender. The Black Arts Movement was criticized for being sexist, and I believe it was. You can definitely find solid information on the web that explains how women contributed to the movement now, but the articles themselves would tell you that during the Black Arts Movement women seemed to be excluded.
How come writing is so heavily discussed, and specifically poems? A partial answer that explains this is the fact that the start of the Black Arts Movement revolved around poems. Also, since poems were short and could be recited at rallies or protests to sway the people, poetry was one of the most popular aspects of the movement due to its effectiveness.
How come writing is so heavily discussed, and specifically poems? A partial answer that explains this is the fact that the start of the Black Arts Movement revolved around poems. Also, since poems were short and could be recited at rallies or protests to sway the people, poetry was one of the most popular aspects of the movement due to its effectiveness.
The Black Arts Movement let people see the aesthetics of black culture and put black people from various many professions in the spotlight. The Movement can be criticized in any way, but you can’t deny the fact that the movement did a lot of good. It helped Black culture progress and thrive at a time where the dominant racial group was trying to aggressively oppress them.