Harlem Renaissance DJ Party Mixtape

Always wanted to be a DJ?  Here’s your chance.

Your job in this assignment is to select five songs that relate to the poems and/or texts we’ve read from the Harlem Renaissance/New Negro Movement.  For each song, explain (in no more than 500 words) the connection between the song and some theme, image, lines, form from the Harlem Renaissance/New Negro Movement texts and/or poems we’ve read.

The songs you select don’t need to be contemporaneous with the Harlem Renaissance/NNM.  You could select a contemporary song or one from the 1950s etc. (In fact, it might be more fun and illuminating to not choose songs from the Harlem Renaissance/New Negro Movement period – – 1917 – 1945.)

When you’ve found a song – – make sure you copy the url for the song (in Spotify or YouTube).  You’ll need this when you fill out your playlist.

When you explain the connection between song and HR/NNM poems and/or texts – – try to connect the song to specific lines in the poems and/or texts.  Avoid generalizing.  For example: “This song reminds me of the quest for identity in the Harlem Renaissance.”  Instead, connect the song to specific moments within texts, and be sure to name-check or cite the text and/or poem you’re connecting to.

I’ve used Qualtrics to streamline the process of building a playlist.  Here’s our form/template. (And see below for the embedded version. Password: Harlem)

Questions?  Let me know in class or via email.

Due date: Thursday, May 13, 2021, at noon.