https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/14/14/e3/1414e3cd1a5f8de6529176536c4da20f.jpg In the painting, “Midsummer Night in Harlem,” all of the models deem to be moving away from the church at night. Everyone is grouped into harmonious, companionable clusters. Most of them are wearing bright white outfits. There are cars, instruments, apartments, and even a dog. Palmer C. Hayden skillfully painted an image which shows a strong sort of community in renaissance era Harlem. The title tells me where the painting is set, but it mostly invokes a certain sort of feeling. Hot nights, bluesy music ringing through the air, the moon dangling between the clouds. Everyone seems to be tight-knit, united by the church and where they live. Overall Hayden seems to be trying to show the culture which african-americans built up. More specifically, he focused on the fact that even though his subjects have gone from slavery to owning luxuries such as cars that united solidarity will always be the most important thing.  

http://www.royal-painting.com/largeimg/Motley,%20Archibald%20J%20Jr/28365-Motley,%20Archibald%20J%20Jr.jpg The last painting focused specifically on black communities, this one seems to reach across ethnicities. Underneath a dark sky people, both black and white, are playing brass instruments. Young african-american women clothed in sheer dresses can be seen in both corners of the image. The woman walking the dog looks as though she wants to watch the performance, but the man is pulling her away. This is, “Gettin’ Religion,” By Archibald Motley, and upon reading the title his theme seemed to grow more complex. These figures feel far removed from the churches and bluesy feel of “A Midsummer Night in Harlem.” So perhaps a different sort of faith is being practiced in Motley's painting. Despite the title what seems to make this painting so special are the relationships shown between blacks and whites. Under the cover of night they have come together to play instruments, listen to jazz, and even the lower left pair are embracing one another. Honestly, Motley has painted an image of a scene which broke traditional social conventions. This leads one to believe that he is perhaps trying to make a statement about a burgeoning group of people who are breaking the status-quo.  

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dcsLA7wFsXg/TV6sCh4y6ZI/AAAAAAAAAIg/ZgM-4isX1XE/s1600/JANET+COLLINS+IN+LA+GIOCONDA+AT+THE+METROPOLITAN+OPERA+HOUSE.jpg A young, african-american woman is performing a ballet routine. Everything about her stance, clothing, and even demeanor seems to follow traditional ballet performances. She is positioned against a white background, and she is clad in a tutu and slippers. The lighting, color of the costume, as well as the background seem to emphasize the fact that this woman is black. There is not really a title for this photograph, but the dancer is Janet Collins. Her name fails to really tell the viewer much about what is going on, yet we can determine much more from the one relationship within the image. Collins is presumably dancing for an audience, most likely white, and her presence is very different from those of other dancers like Josephine Baker. This young woman is wearing no white makeup. Instead her skin is visible for all with eyes to see. She is regal with dignified pride which is almost the complete opposite of Baker’s banana outfit. Perhaps that audacious, magnetic allure is what the photographer hoped to convey with this image.  

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XF9Quk0QhSE/hqdefault.jpg Here one should be able to at least recognize the Lincoln Memorial, towering above a singing woman. Stationed in front of her are the microphones of several, major news stations including NBC. Directly behind her a man sits at the piano playing the notes to ‘My Country Tis of Thee’. Her eyes are closed giving the impression that there is an important message being conveyed, yet she does not want to see the audience’s reception of it. Marian Anderson, the singer, is performing at the iconic landmark in the 1930s for an Easter hosted by the Roosevelts. While that tells me a lot of the context what is more insightful are the details surrounding her. She is african-american performing for not only the president, but millions of other Americans as well. What is most important, however, is the symbolic relationship between Anderson and Abraham Lincoln’s statue. The photographer manages to capture the powerful connection between the history of freedom as well as this woman’s incredible journey.   

https://www.courses.psu.edu/arth/arth497c_jhr11/497images/harlemren1/ethiopia.jpg In the image above we can see a statue. The figure is partially mummified though the wrappings come loose to reveal a beautiful woman. Her eyes look upwards with something akin to hope while her hand rests over her heart. This sculpture is a replication of Meta Fuller’s masterpiece, ‘Ethiopia Awakening’. That title gives away much of the context contained within this piece of artwork. Ethiopia refers to the growing interest african-americans had in embracing the African heritage which had been stolen from them. The awakening ties that first part of the title into a much larger picture. Blacks were discovering a part of themselves which had been repressed for over two centuries. Some time after the Civil War they then found themselves able to shed free of their restrictive ‘wrappings’ and search for their own identities. Based off of those characteristics it is easy to see that this statue represents the Harlem Renaissance almost perfectly.  

http://www.1939nyworldsfair.com/worlds_fair/wf_tour/zone-2/the-harp.htm A harp leans against a massive hand on a platform. Each of the seven strings are portrayed as a singing men. Keeling at the end a young man holds the pedal in his hands. This statue was made by Augusta Savage, and she aptly titled it, “The Harp.” That certainly confirms that the viewer is looking at a musical instrument, yet the symbolism is still hidden. Ignoring the fact that these figures are all bound together in the shape a harp one should focus on the relationships which are present. The singing men stand line in line as though bound together by a shared anthem. They are firmly supported by a hand while the pedal sends up the directions. Clearly the purpose of this statue was to display the importance of unity. Solidarity allows the community to find support, and Savage depicted this concept very well.  

http://www.projectblackman.com/GreatBlackMenInHistory.aspx?notablePersonId=139 In the image above an african-american man can be seen observing some sort of scientific contraption intently. He is wearing a suit and sitting in what looks like a very dated lab room. The only two colors are black and white. The man in this photograph was Ernest Everett Just, a scientist who studied a number of groundbreaking biological topics. Looking at the picture above one should be able to see that the biggest relationship on display is not between two humans. Just has eyes for science, and it feels as though there has been a lot of history within his attempts to become a biologist. One important concept this photograph shows is that blacks were pioneers in fields other than art. This picture truly emphasizes the idea that if someone works hard enough to achieve something, then anything is possible.   

http://newsroom.cumc.columbia.edu/blog/2014/02/24/exhibit-highlights-african-american-surgeons/ The photo above depicts a team of nurses assisting two doctors as they perform surgery on a young boy. What is so fascinating about this image is that all of the people in the room are black. They are standing in what looks like a professional setting with an operating table, tools, and even jars of sanitary liquid. This picture from the National Library of Medicine of the Frederick Douglass Operating Hospital shows an important development for the african-american community. When denied access to fundamental services such institutions as this hospital took up the burden of looking after their communities. As with almost all of the other images throughout this gallery the symbolic relationship is most important. The doctors and nurses in this room were undoubtedly integral members of the black community.   

http://www.scout.com/military/warrior/story/1660426-wwi-harlem-hellfighter-held-off-german-unit Looking at the picture one can see a black soldier fighting off countless adversaries with nothing more than his bare hands. In the distance there is an U.S. flag showing that the focus of the drawing is an American. On the bottom in white lettering there are the words, ‘Our Colored Heroes’. This man struggling so valiantly was Sergeant Henry Johnson, a member of the Harlem Hellfighters. During World War One he gained national recognition for standing on his own against a German attack to defend one of his comrades. The biggest relationship is perhaps the connection between Sergeant Johnson and the American flag. That really highlights the fact that african-americans were willing to fight for their country, even though they were not even allowed to serve alongside white forces due to segregationist policies. Honestly, this might be one of the most powerful images in my entire gallery.

   

http://blackhistorynow.com/benjamin-davis-jr/ Staring into the camera is another member of the American military. This man, however, is definitely of a much higher rank than Sergeant Johnson was. On both of the shoulders of his uniform are three stars signifying the rank of a lieutenant general. His name was Benjamin O. Davis Jr., and interestingly enough his father, Benjamin O. Davis Sr., was the first black general of the U.S. army. All of these photos have shown examples of african-americans excelling in their respective fields. Lieutenant general Davis performed the ultimate service for his nation, and it is evidenced by the uniform he wears in the photograph above. He was a pioneer who persevered against military discrimination, forging new paths for following generations of black soldiers.