Locke believed that the new Negro was taking the racism which
had been forced upon him by white society and was turning it to
positive uses, transforming obstacles to his progress into "dams
of social energy and power."
The factor which prevented this new, energetic Afro-American
from becoming alienated from America was that its goals were
identical with the expressed ideals of the country. The racial
discrimination and injustice from which Afro-Americans suffered,
though deeply entrenched in national institutions, were themselves
a contradiction to the American democratic philosophy. The Afro-
American, besides having justice on his side, was comforted
knowing that his goals were sanctioned and hallowed by the nation's
ideals. As Locke put it, "We cannot be undone without America's
undoing".
Thousands of Negro migrants poured north into Chicago. The
factories in Detroit attracted thousands more, and Harlem became
the center of "the promised land." James Johnson described the
Harlem of the 1920s as the "culture capitol of the Negro world."
Its magnetism attracted Negroes from all across America, from the
West Indies and even some from Africa itself.
Pages:
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298