Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a literary, artistic, and intellectual movement that led to a new black cultural identity. It was not the usual political movement but a more aesthetic movement. Even though it was widely ignored, the Harlem Renaissance was a big influence for future generations of black writers.
Music
The 1920s were named the "Jazz Age", because of the African American's influence of music during the time. Jazz music is based mostly off of improvisation. It combined the views of ragtime and blues, as well as European pop music. This type of music originated in New Orleans, when it was played mostly in nightclubs, and it spread North after the Great Migration. Jazz music played a part in the Prohibition Era. It was played in all of the popular nightclubs at the time, and with the usage of phonograph records, it's influence spread across the world. Finally, the music style was able to display the depth and richness of the African American culture by expressing through the music they played.
Literature
In the 1920s, the term "New Negro" came to light, which expressed their need for a new look on the African American society. With this term, African American artists of all kinds began to make their debuts. The authors wrote books on the joys and pains of African American lifestyle in America. Claude McKay, the most militant of the writers, wrote about African American struggle for dignity in the times of discrimination. Langston Hughes, the most powerful African American writer, wrote about the diversity of African American lifestyle. Finally, Zora Neale Hurston was another powerful African American writer, who expressed the needs for women's independence, both black and white.
Overall Racial Pride
African Americans had not yet escaped the racism and oppression towards them. They had, however, been able to find a better life up North after the Great Migration. Wages were much higher working in auto plants and steel mills up North rather than being a sharecropper in the South. There were also identifiable middle and upper classes of African Americans. African American ministers, physicians, lawyers, teachers, and journalists served as role models for younger generations.